The Switch
by rosetree
Summary: When Rose Sylvester, a modern-day 15-year-old girl, loses Mickey Mouse's sorcerer's hat in a vortex, she becomes trapped in several Disney movies. The only way for her to get back home is to face every obstacle that the main characters did in each movie, and return the lost hat back to its rightful owner, Mickey. Will she make it back, or will the hat ends up in the wrong hands?
1. Chapter 1: A Provincial Life

**Disclaimer: Anything Disney/Pixar-related in this story does not belong to me. **

Rating: K+

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Journey

When I came home from dance class, I dropped my bag onto the couch and lay down. My hand cramped from taking exams at school, and I had a splitting headache.

I try my best to work hard in school and achieve good grades, although I get sidetracked easily. Tenth grade was exceptionally hard for me, especially at a new school. I guess that it's safe to say that I spend more time at school daydreaming than listening to my teachers go on about George Washington and pre-algebra.

Usually, I try and juggle my schoolwork with my hobbies and social life. I'm a killer photographer, a performer, and an aspiring artist. My goal in life is to be an animator for Pixar, so I spend most of my time sketching cartoons.

I don't have that many friends, but I have enough to keep happy. They all think of me as the sarcastic, wisecracking girl with a big imagination (and a short temper), and I think of them all differently. My best friend, Shane, is hilarious. He's also one of the sweetest guys I know. My other friend, Ciara, is really smart, and I know she'd do anything for me.

"Rose, come help me with dinner," my mom called from the kitchen.

Yes, Rose is my name. I've always hated it. I had my friends call me "R" when I was younger, and now, even as a fifteen-year-old, they still call me it.

I groaned. "No thanks," I said while searching for the TV remote. I heard her mutter something about me being lazy while she was shoving a turkey into the oven, but that didn't bother me. "Mom, do you know which box the remote is in?"

We just moved from Nebraska to Orlando, so I had no idea where anything in our house was. My mom was the only one in our house that actually unpacked the moving boxes. I think I unpacked one, only because my collection of Disney movies was in there, and I can't survive a minute without them. I guess you could say that I'm a diehard Disney fan.

"I don't know, sweetie. Ask your father," Mom responded, pretending to be busy. "Oh, and that reminds me. Dad and I decided to have our new neighbors over for dinner tonight. Could you—"

"Say no more, dear mother. I'll go get ready," I said. I was wearing yoga pants and an oversized sweatshirt I got from Canada, and my long, curly blonde hair was pulled back in a messy high ponytail.

"Okay, good. You look like a mess," I narrowed my eyes at her, and she laughed sheepishly. "What? I was only kidding. Anyway, that's not what I was going to ask you. Could you stay upstairs with Marc and Dan while they're over?"

I nodded and walked over to the refrigerator. I took out a can of Coke and popped open the tab, and began chugging it down.

"Hey, Mom. Can I ask you something?" I said, wiping a bit of the fizz from the soda off my upper-lip.

"Sure, Rose. What is it? Are you having...girly issues?"

I choked on the Coke for a brief second. "What the hell, Mom? No...nothing like that. It's just that...now that we live in Orlando...do you think we can go to Disney World more often?"

My mom laughed, shaking her head. "I don't know. We'll see," she said, but the tone in her voice made it translate to "no".

Why did I even ask? I should have known. Unlike my brothers and I, my parents _hate _Disney World. They hate rides, hate staying up until the workers announce on the loud speakers that the park will be closing, and hated buying a billion souvenirs at the cute, little shops they had around Main Street.

"Oh," I said quietly. "It's just that, now that I'm older, I really want to go."

"What does that have to do with you being older? Rose, you're fifteen. Most girls your age beg their parents to go to a concert, not Disney World."

"I know, I know. You've told me that a million times before," I snarled, rolling my eyes at her. I put the soda can down on the counter and sat down at the kitchen table. "Okay, how about this? We take a family vote to see who wants to go. Whoever wants to go will go. Whoever doesn't want to go will stay home."

I reclined back in my chair with a devious smile on my face. My two brothers are Disney fanatics, too. They would never pass up an opportunity to go to Disney World.

Mom rushed over to the stove as soon as the timer went off and took the overcooked turkey out of the oven. "Uh...I don't want to...leave you unsupervised..." she said, searching for a knife. I could tell she was sick of talking to me.

"Oh, c'mon. Marc's old enough to watch us, and I know he'd love to come."

Marc was my older brother that had just graduated from college. He loved Disney almost as much as I did.

"He's not the most..."

"Responsible?" I said. "Well, maybe if we just give him a chance..."

"A chance to what? Abandon you at the Haunted Mansion? Forget it, Rose. Maybe when you have a family of your own."

I burst out of my seat in anger, slamming my fist down on the counter. "But, it's not fair! We haven't done anything exciting since we moved here. I don't want to do dance for five days a week, or take any algebra tests. I want an adventure!" I bellowed, not pausing to take any breaths.

My mom stood there, wide-eyed, with her hand clutching onto the handle of the knife she found. She let out a sigh and began carving the meat off the turkey's legs. "Sweetie, I know the move has been stressful for you..."

"Stressful for me?" was my comment. "It's only been stressful because I haven't had any chances to relax."

"You have time to relax on the weekends," Mom brought up.

"Yeah, but, whenever I want to do something, you and Dad are always busy," I said in defense.

"Not always," Mom replied. I shot her a look, which made her take a second guess. "Okay...well, maybe that's true. But, that's because we..."

_"Work,"_ I said, finishing her sentence. "Every hour of the day you work. It's just so..." my voice trailed off as I searched for an appropriate word to use. "..._annoying!" _

"Annoying?" Mom repeated as she raised her left brow.

"Yes, did you not hear me the first time? _Annoying!" _

The room was silent for a few minutes, with my mom busy skinning her turkey, and me just sitting there, frustrated. Both of our heads jerked up as soon as we heard a door slam.

"Martha, have you seen my keys?" My dad's voice called out from the garage as he jiggled the doorknob. Again, he had locked himself out of the house.

Through my steaming anger, I managed to let out a giggle. My dad was, without a doubt, one of the wackiest people I know. If not, more goofier than Goofy himself.

However, my mom was far more strict and serious than he was. She rolled her eyes and walked over to the door leading to the garage, letting my father in.

"You're such an idiot, Dad," I said to him jokingly.

Dad smiled and pulled out the stool next to mine, taking a seat. "Good to see you, too, sugarplum. Anything exciting happen at school?"

"Dad, the words 'school' and 'exciting' can never be used in the same sentence."

My dad gave a weak laugh. "I guess you're right," he agreed. "How was your dance class?"

"Horrible, as always," I said. "Don't you think I deserve a break?"

"Oh, please," Mom muttered to herself.

Dad scratched his chin, which was followed by a small nod. "I don't see why not," he said.

I squealed and threw my arms around his neck. "Yes! Thank-you so much, Daddy!" I said, my voice muffled in his brown leather jacket. "I've already got the whole trip planned out. First, we'll start off at Magic Kingdom, and then we'll..."

"Magic Kingdom?" Dad said, scrunching his nose. "Rose, do you know how much money it will cost to go on a trip to Disney World?"

My excitement slowly faded away. I returned to my old irritated state and shouted, "are you serious? You make more money than you know what to do with!", and ran upstairs.

My parents both exchanged bitter looks.

"When will she learn to grow up?" my mother said, finishing her last few words with a long sigh.

"It'll take time," my father responded dully.

"I know it will, Stephen, but we can't wait that long. Soon, she'll be an adult, yet still trapped in her fantasy world of adventure and...make-believe."

"Well, she certainly is different than her mother," Dad said, a bit teasingly.

Mom grunted and slipped the sliced turkey onto a clean dinner plate. "Yes, that is true. But, soon, she'll have to learn."

**Meanwhile, in Mickey's World...**

The night fell dead silent. The door to Mickey Mouse's workshop creaked as it slowly opened. A dark shadow was standing at the doorway, one that looked to be neither a man or an animal. It stepped into the workshop, waddling over to a long table that was set up in the center of the main room.

The shadow chuckled. "There it is! Right in plain sight!" an obese hand reached out and grabbed an object off of the table. "That stupid rat. Thought he could keep it for himself, eh? Well, now, Disney Universe has a new ruler..."

The shadow stepped into the small ray of light coming in through the window. He was wearing an ill-fitting blue sorcerer's hat with white stars on it, which allowed him to obtain powers. He blasted the table with a blazing fireball, and it broke into little pieces and fell on the ground.

"...and his name is Pete! Hehe!" The shadow-Pete-announced. "He who wears the hat is in charge 'round here. Finally, I will become the most powerful ruler in the world! No one can stop me now! Hehe!"

A flicker of candlelight appeared at the staircase.

"Hello? Is someone there?" a squeaky voice called. It was Mickey Mouse, the _real _ruler of his world, and Pete's nemesis.

Panicking, Pete scurried around the room. He tripped over a table barely able to be seen in the darkness, and dived right into a bureau. The sorcerer's hat flew off his head and dove into a portal disguised as a mirror, the same one Mickey fell through in the video game _Epic Mickey. _

"Oh no, oh no, oh no..." Pete whispered. "The hat! I lost it!" he could hear Mickey's soft footsteps getting closer to him. "I better go, before the little runt catches me. But, this ain't over yet. I _will _get that hat, and I will send that do-goodin' Mickey Mouse down the toilet!"

**In the attic...**

I sighed as I looked out the window forlorn. Marc and my eleven-year-old brother, Daniel, were sitting on the couch, stuffing their faces with an XL pepperoni pizza they ordered from Domino's while watching _The Little Mermaid _on paper-view_. _

"_Aladdin _is the best Disney movie, no question," Dan said as he bit off the crust from his fourth slice of pizza. _  
_

Marc scoffed. "No way. _Hercules _is the best for sure. Hey, can you hand me another slice?"

It hurt me that they were talking about Disney. All I wanted was to go to Disney World, but the knowledge that I couldn't made me want to have nothing to do with it.

I gazed up at the twinkling stars and closed my eyes tight. "I wish...I could be in Disney," I said under my breath. The volume was set to max on the TV, so I knew Dan and Marc didn't hear me. "Please, oh, please, oh, please..."

"Hey, Rose," Marc shouted as _Poor Unfortunate Souls _came on. "Why don't you come watch the movie with us? You love _The Little Mermaid._"

"What are you even doing? Praying?" Dan said.

"Oh, yeah. Because I'm oh-so religious," I said sarcastically. Dan looked down at his feet shamefully and took another bite of his pizza. "I'm wishing on a star. It seems to solve everyone's problems in Disney movies."

"Problems? Do you mean like...girly problems?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, God. Why does everybody think that?" I muttered, walking over to the couch. I sat in between Dan and Marc, taking the last slice of pizza from the box. "It's just that I really, really want to go to Disney World while we're living in Orlando. Nothing else. Got that, short-stuff? Nothing to do with my femininity."

Dan shrugged and poured himself a glass of orange soda. "Okay, okay. I get it," he said, then turned to Marc. "Gheesh, can you believe her? Girls are so weird sometimes."

Marc gave Dan a look that seemed to say "I know, right?", then they both went back to watching the movie. Now, it was at the part where Ariel became a human.

I sat and pretended to watch it, too, but my eyes were still focusing on the stars. "Please...please..." I whispered again, but quieter. I clenched my fists and scrunched my nose up, still repeating that one word, up until a loud _BANG _made me jump out of my seat.

"You see? I kept telling you that the TV was broken, but, of course, you didn't believe me. Did you?" Dan said to Marc.

"Alright, whatever. You're right, I'm wrong. Rose, would you go find the remote? Obviously, we need to fix the TV settings."

"Yeah. Obviously is right," I said.

I wandered over to the hallway on the second floor, where most of the moving boxes were. I dug my fingernail into the tape holding together the flaps on one of the boxes and glided it down until it was opened. I reached into the box and felt around for something that felt like a remote, but instead found a small mirror. It was golden and had an elegant design traced along the rim of the glass.

There was something else in the box, too. I ran my hand across what felt like some sort of soft fabric that felt velvety and picked the object up. My eyes widened in shock. It looked like an exact replica of the sorcerer's hat that Mickey Mouse wore in Fantasia.

I looked over to the mirror and tried the hat on. "Lookin' good, Rose," I said to myself jokingly. The hat fell down and covered up my crystal-blue eyes. I grinned and pushed it upward.

That's when I noticed something particularly strange. The fabric stars on the hat were glowing, just like real stars do in the black night sky. A glimmering funnel of lavender and sparkles twirled around the tip of the hat. Before I could take the hat off, the funnel moved around my body and spun me around. I screamed, feeling the floor rotate beneath my feet, while a flash of light shined through the windows and blinded me. The speed of the spinning caused the sorcerer's hat to tip off my head.

**In the village**

Moments later, I opened my eyes. I was staring up at a blank morning sky, laying down on my back on a hard stone road . People passed by, but they were too busy to notice me. Slowly, I arched my back up against the side of a fountain, rubbing my head.

"Where...am I?" I said as my eyes tried to adjust to the surrounding.

I looked around. I was sitting in the middle of a small village, where everyone was running around with groceries and filled baskets in their hands.

I stood up, trying to keep my balance. I still felt woozy from when I was transported here. I looked down at my clothes, and realized that they had been been replaced with a long-sleeved blue dress and an apron. My blonde hair was pulled back with a ribbon and a large blue bow.

"Pardon me, mademoiselle," a muscular man said, rushing passed me.

His body slammed into mine, and I fell back down. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" I called after him.

The man turned around and grinned. His long black hair was slicked back into a ponytail. His eyes were almost the same shade of blue as mine. He was handsome, but something about him looked...suspicious.

"Ah, Belle, what a pleasant surprise" he said, wrapping his arm around me. "You know, I was just heading over to my tavern. Maybe you'd like to come and take a look at my trophies. What do you say?"

I pushed his arm off my shoulder and groaned. "Yeah, I don't see that happening," I stopped for a minute, then looked back at the man. "Hold on. Did you just call me Belle?"

The man nodded. "Yes, Belle. That's your name," he said.

"See, I told you she was crazy," a shorter man whispered to him. He stomped on his foot to get him to be quiet.

I sat down at the fountain, biting my lip. "If I'm Belle, then you must be Gaston. And-and that's Lefou. And that means, I'm in _Beauty and the Beast."_

"Geeze, Belle. You must have hit your head on something when you fell."

Lefou and Gaston howled with laughter. I shot them an icy glare. Gaston stopped laughing, but Lefou kept going on, up until the point where he finally realized that everyone was staring at him.

"You guys are no help. I've got to find a way to get back home..." I thought back to when I found the hat. That's what had brought me here in the first place, so, wouldn't it be able to bring me home? "Whatever. I'm leaving."

I started walking over to the end of the village square, until Gaston blocked the way. "Say, Lefou and I were thinking of hunting for geese this evening. Care to join us?"

I raised a brow. "I don't know. With a gun in my hands, I'd be more likely to shoot you than the geese."

"Oh, well, of course we wouldn't give a woman a gun," Gaston laughed. "That's the man's job. A female would just carry the equipment."

I felt anger rush through my body. I clenched my fists, trying to hold it all back. "So, what are you saying? Girls can't do whatever men can?" I shouted at him.

Gaston rubbed his cleft chin and exchanged glares with Lefou. "Well, it's a more less-detailed explanation. But, what does that matter to you? You're the most beautiful girl in town. You don't need to achieve anything."

My face was now as red as the shirt that Gaston was wearing. I decided to turn my back on him, before I did something that I might have regretted, and walked out of the village with my head held high.

Miles away from the village, I found myself following a scenic path up the hills. Within each step, I felt my feet sink into the fields of dandelions. The sky was painted orange and purple.

Within a few minutes of walking, I sat down to rest. I could hear a horse galloping up the hill behind me and turned my attention over there. "Maurice? Is that you?" The man riding the horse smiled at me sweetly. "I-I mean, you're my dad, right?"

Maurice led Phillipe, his horse, to the top of the hill. He hopped off Phillipe and waddled over to me with bright eyes. "Belle, you're back early. Did you have a good time in town today?"

I shrugged and lay down in one of the dandelion beds. "I don't know. I...well, let's just say, I've had a very strange day," Maurice chuckled and sat down beside me. I smiled, happy that I had somebody I could talk to while I was trapped here. "Anyway, where are you off to?"

Maurice bobbed his head towards the carriage that Phillipe was pulling. "Phillipe and I were heading over to the fair. We better keep moving," he said. Then, he got back up on his feet and opened his arms up for a hug. "Wish me luck, Belle. Take care while I'm gone."

I accepted the hug and grinned. "I'll try to," I said as we broke apart. I watched as Maurice rode off on Phillipe into the forest. He seemed completely unaware of what he was about to run into.

**At the cottage**

As soon as I found my way to Maurice's cottage, I started a fire in the fireplace and nestled up in an armchair. Ever since Maurice payed his visit, I didn't have much time to rest in the meadow.

I was almost at the point of falling asleep, until I heard a knock on the door.

"Hmm, I wonder who that could be," I said sarcastically as the knocking grew heavier. Above the door, there was a contraption hanging close to the ceiling. I pulled it down and looked through the glass. In the glass was a fish-eye image of Gaston waiting outside the cottage. Moaning, I pushed the door open. "Oops, sorry. Nobody's home. Come back again some other time."

I turned my back on Gaston and slammed the door shut. He opened it back up and entered the cottage uninvited. "And a hello to you too, Belle. What a lovely evening, isn't it?"

"Well, it was," I said under my breath. I knew Gaston couldn't hear me, he was too busy looking at himself in the mirror.

"You know, Belle. There's not a girl in town that wouldn't love to be in your shoes. This is the day..." he leaned closer into the mirror and licked his teeth clean. "This is the day that your dreams come true."

I groaned and collapsed back into the armchair. "What do you know about my dreams?" I asked.

Gaston chuckled and plopped into the armchair beside mine. He propped his muddy feet up on the footstool and leaned back. "Plenty. Here, picture this. A rustic hunting lodge, my latest kill roasting on the fire, and my little wife, massaging my feet, while the little ones play with the dogs," I got out of my seat and went for the door. Once again, he blocked the way. "We'll have six or seven."

"Dogs?" I said.

Gaston let out another chuckle. "No, Belle! Strapping boys like me!" he bellowed. I rolled my eyes. "And do you know who that wife would be?"

"God, I don't know..."

"You, Belle!" Gaston said, cornering me.

I shrunk back and reached for the doorknob. "Oh, gee, Gaston...I-I don't know what to say."

"Say you'll marry me," he puckered out his lips, then went falling outside in a pool of mud.

I giggled and watched as Lefou conducted his wedding band to play "Here Comes the Bride". Lefou looked down, noticed that Gaston was covered head-to-toe in mud and cut them off.

"So, how did it go?" Lefou asked, absent-minded.

Gaston grabbed Lefou by the collar and lifted him off his feet. "I'll have Belle as my wife, make no mistake about that!" he snarled, then let go of Lefou.

Lefou dove into the mud and looked over at a pig. "Touchy," he said to it. The pig snorted in agreement.

I waited for everyone at the wedding to leave, then poked my head out the door. "Is he gone? Can you believe it? He asked me to marry him! Me, the wife of that boorish, brainless..."

I walked over to a gated area and picked up a piece of cloth.

_Madame, Gaston. Can't you just see it?_

_Madame, Gaston. His little wife._

Dropping the piece of cloth, I kicked over a tray holding buckets filled with animal food.

_No sir, not me_, _I guarantee it_

_I want much more than this provincial life_

The music which once started off so faint started to build up as I ran to the meadow of dandelions. A warm breeze brushed by and blew my hair to the side.

_I want adventure in the great, wide somewhere,_

_I want it more than I can tell_

_And for once it might be grand,_

_To have someone understand_

_I want_ so_ much more than they've got planned_

The music came to a stop when Phillipe came galloping out of the forest. He rushed over to my side with a panicked look in his eyes, neighing.

I gasped and brushed his fur to comfort him. "Oh, God. I forgot about this part. Maurice is trapped at the Beast's castle, isn't he?" I looked down at Phillipe, and he neighed. "C'mon, Phillipe. We've got to go find him."

Phillipe gave a small nod and bowed down. I stepped back, shaking my head nervously. "Oh, no, no, no. Bad enough I got stuck in this hellhole, now I have to ride a horse?"

Out of everything bad thing I was expecting out of this journey, I was most scared to ride a horse. It was something I had never done, or ever wanted to.

Before I could back out of it, Phillipe scooped me up and sat me down on his saddle. I held onto his mane tight as he darted off into the forest.

"A little slower, Phillipe!" I shouted at him, hugging his neck for dear life. Phillipe grunted and continued on at the same pace.

Finally, I noticed a large castle in the foreground and guided Phillipe over there. He took off as soon as we reached the gates.

I looked up at the castle, squinting, while tilting my head from side-to-side. "It looks bigger than I imagined," I said.

The gate creaked open, leaving a small crack. I slipped through it and slowly made my way over to the castle.

"Helloooo? Is anybody there?" I called out, wandering around the hallway.

I searched everywhere for the jail cell that Maurice was held captive in. The last place I needed to go was up, so I started up a long staircase.

At the end of the staircase, there was a door. I twisted the knob and walked inside, cringing as a moldy smell crept in the room.

"Belle?" a voice croaked.

I turned around and looked into one of the cells. Maurice was sitting down inside of it, shaking and coughing.

"Maurice! I mean...Papa, you-you look really sick," I said. Our hands met at the bars. "Your hands are freezing cold. I need to get you out of here..."

"Belle, I want you to leave this place."

"No! I can't leave you here all by yourself," I protested.

Suddenly, a hairy hand grabbed me by the shoulder and spun me around. I already knew it was the Beast's, but I pretended to act clueless.

"What are you doing here?" the beast growled.

Maurice shook the bars and shouted. "Run, Belle!"

I cleared my throat. "I-I've come to rescue him. He's my father. He could die any minute here..."

Beast let out another growl. "Then he shouldn't have trespassed here," he hissed coolly.

"Well, I trespassed, too. Take me as prisoner instead."

Beast's eyes widened in shock. "You! You would take his place?"

I looked down at my feet and nodded. "Yes, but you have to let him go first."

"I will, but you must promise to stay here forever."

I squinted at the Beast's shadow and walked closer to him. He knew that I was looking at him and ran to the other corner of the room. "Come into the light," I said.

Slowly, he emerged from the corner and stepped into the small beam of light shining down in the middle of the dungeon. Now, he was no longer a shadow but a hideous beast.

I gasped and fell back down to the jail cell.

Maurice's eyes were misty with tears. "No, Belle! I won't let you do this!" he shouted, but the Beast and I both ignored him.

I stood back up and marched into the light. "Alright, I'll stay for as long as you want," I said to the Beast. Then, I looked back down at Maurice and mouthed, "it's going to be okay."

Maurice was still frantic. "No, Belle! Listen to me. I'm old, I've lived my life..." he cried while the Beast stuck a key through the lock in the cell. With his sharp claws, he twisted it, grabbed Maurice by the shirt collar, and dragged him down the steps.

I tip-toed into the jail cell and sighed out of exhaustion. "Goodbye, Maurice," I whispered, looking out of the cell window. Maurice was being taken away in a palanquin.

Meanwhile, the Beast and Lumiere, the candlestick, were standing by the staircase.

"Master..." Lumiere said quietly.

The Beast looked over at him angrily and bellowed, "WHAT?!"

Lumiere shivered and continued on. "...since the girl is going to be with us for quite some time, I was thinking that you might want to offer her a more comfortable room..." The Beast let out a loud growl, blowing out Lumiere's flames. "...then again, maybe not."

The Beast crept into the jail room. I was sitting down in the cell, still staring out the window. "Go away!" I cried.

Beast looked down at the ground and sighed. "I'll show you to your room," he said under his breath. Then, he took off, waltzing down the staircase.

I followed behind, following the light from Lumiere. "So, uh...nice place you got here," I looked around the castle at all of the gargoyles and tattered paintings.

The Beast flared his nostrils and continued on. Lumiere, who was in the Beast's paw, whispered to him. "Say something to her."

The Beast looked back at me. "I...um...hope you like it here," he said awkwardly. Lumiere motioned for him to continue. "The castle is your home now, so you can go anywhere you wish, except the West Wing."

I smiled. I remembered from the movie that the West Wing was where the Beast liked to hide himself. He kept the Enchanted Rose in there, too.

"I'll pay a visit after dinner," I said to myself quietly.

The Beast heard me and whirled around, almost dropping Lumiere. "What was that?!" he yelled, spitting on my face.

I wiped the spit off with the sleeve of my dress and frowned. "Nothing, _master." _

I followed the Beast up a flight of stairs. We arrived at the doors to one of the bedrooms.

The Beast opened the door for me. "Now, if there's anything you need, my servants will attend to you," he said with a controlled temper.

"Dinner," Lumiere whispered to the Beast. "Invite her to dinner."

The Beast grew upset and went back to his normal moody self. "You will join me for dinner. That's not a request!"

Beast left and slammed the door behind him, which caused the whole room to shake.

With a sour face, I hopped into the bed and lay down. "Soon, I'll be home," I reminded myself, sinking back in the pillows. "All I need to do is find that hat."

**At the tavern...**

Gaston sunk back into his fur chair dejectedly. "Who does she think she is?" he went on, slamming his fist down. "That girl has tangled with the wrong man. No one says 'no' to Gaston!"

"Darn right!" Lefou agreed.

"Dismissed, rejected, publicly humiliated. Why, it's more than I can bear," Gaston added. Ashamed of himself, he turned his chair away and faced the fireplace.

Lefou ran around the chair with a smile. "More beer?" he asked Gaston.

Gaston turned his chair back around to face away from Lefou. "What for? Nothing helps. I'm disgraced."

"Who, you?" Lefou said as the music gradually started to play. "Gaston, you need to pull yourself together."

_Gosh, it disturbs me to see you Gaston,_

_Looking so down in the dumps_

Lefou stretched Gaston's lips into a smile. Gaston threw a punch at him, and he flew into the air.

_Every guy here'd love to be you, Gaston,_

_Even when taking your lumps_

_There's no one in town as admired as you_

_You're everyone's favorite guy_

_Everyone's awed and inspired by you_

_And it's not very hard to see why_

_No one's slick as Gaston, no one's quick as Gaston_

_No one's next as incredibly thick as Gaston's_

_For there's no man in town half as manly_  
_ Perfect, a pure paragon!_  
_ You can ask any Tom, Dick, or Stanley_  
_ And they'll tell you who's team they'd prefer to be on!_

Lefou dove into a table filled with old men. They picked him up by the arms and legs and swung him around.

_No one's been like Gaston, a king-pin like Gaston_  
_No one's got a swell cleft in his chin like Gaston_

Lefou reached out and tickled the bottom of Gaston's chin. His confidence building back up, Gaston stood up proudly and joined in.

Gaston: As_ a specimen, yes, I'm intimidating!_  
_My, what a guy that Gaston!_

_Give five hurrahs, give twelve hip-hips_

Lefou: _Gaston is the best and the rest is all drips!_

Lefou, who had been holding a mug full of beer, spilled the beer in Gaston's face. Gaston raised his fist up and punched Lefou right in the face.

_No one fights like Gaston, no one bites like Gaston_

_In a wrestling match, nobody bites like Gaston_

_For there's no one as burly and_ _brawny_

Gaston:_ As you see I've got biceps to spare_

Lefou:_ Not a bit of him scraggly or_ _scrawny_  
Gaston:_ That's right! And every last bit of me's covered with hair!_

Gaston tore open his shirt, exposing his hairy chest.

_No one hits like Gaston, matches wits like Gaston_  
Lefou: _In a spitting match, nobody spits like Gaston!_  
Gaston: _I'm especially good at expectorating! Ptooey!_  
_Ten points for Gaston!_

Lefou and Gaston made their way over to the bar. Everyone huddled around Gaston as he picked up several eggs and tossed them around.

Gaston: _When I was a lad I ate four dozen eggs_

_Every morning to help me get large!_

_ And now that I'm grown, I eat five dozen eggs_  
_ So I'm roughly the size of a barge!_

Lefou mimicked Gaston and tried juggling the eggs in the air, too, but when they came down, they broke open on his face.

_No one shoots like Gaston, makes those beauts like Gaston_  
Lefou: _Then goes tromping around wearing boots like Gaston_  
Gaston: _I use antlers in all of my decorating!_

_My what a guy, Gaston!_

As the song came to an end, the door swung open. Maurice rushed inside, panicking. "Help! Somebody help me!" he cried out. Everyone in the bar chuckled and muttered to one another.

"Maurice?" one man said as he took a sip of beer.

"Please, please! I need your help. He's got her. He's got her locked up in the dungeon!"

"Who?" Lefou asked Maurice.

"Belle! We must go! Not a minute to lose!" he yelled out, catching everyone's attention in the bar.

Gaston strutted over to Maurice and let out a small chuckle. "Whoa, slow down, Maurice. Whose got Belle locked up in a dungeon?"

"A beast!" Maurice cried. In a result of panic, he rushed around the bar, going from table to table yelling at every person he could reach. "A horrible, monstrous beast!"

The tavern went silent for a few minutes. Someone sitting in the back of the bar snorted while trying to hold back a giggle. Then, before Maurice knew it, the entire bar burst out in a roaring laughter.

One of the men who got into the fight with Gaston stood beside Maurice. "Is it a big beast?" he chuckled, mocking him.

"Huge!"

"With a long, ugly snout?" another man said, with his empty mug pressed against his lips.

Maurice nodded and replied, "hideously ugly!"

"And sharp, cruel fangs?"

Maurice's eyes grew wide and nodded once again. "Yes, yes! Will you help me?"

Gaston paused for a moment and exchanged looks with the other men. He turned back to Maurice with a sinister grin. "All, right, old man. We'll help you out," he said deviously.

Maurice let out a small sigh of relief as Gaston and his men cornered him against the wall. "You will? Oh thank you, thank you!" he thanked them.

The men crowded around Maurice, scooped him up, and threw him out into the cold, wet snow.

As the men walked away from the door and went back to their drinking, a large figure slipped inside. His face was masked underneath a long, black cape, one big enough to cover up his body.

The figure waddled up to Gaston's throne and whispered into his ear. "Psst, young man," he hissed.

Gaston felt the icy coolness of his breath and looked up. "Yes, can I help you, sir?" he said to the shadowy figure.

"Come with me," the figure instructed, gripping onto Gaston's muscular arms.

He yanked on them and pulled Gaston up from his chair. "Ouch! What gives?!" Gaston exclaimed, rubbing his stretched-out arms.

"Sorry," the figure apologized. As soon as Gaston's arm was better, the two men, along with Lefou, sat down at a shady table in the corner of the bar.

Lefou was chugging down another pint of beer. It was his sixth one this evening, and he was growing woozy. Gaston, on the other hand, was more concentrated on the mysterious figure than his drink.

The figure reclined back in his chair, making himself relaxed. "Gaston, in't it?" he turned to Gaston, who nodded in response. "I've heard lots about you, young man. You're the most adored fellow in the town."

Lefou staggered over to the bench. "And, where is this conversation going?" he said, then hiccuped. Gaston pushed him down to the ground, causing him to spill half the cup of his beer.

The figure ignored him and continued on. "What a wonderful man you are, Gaston. It must be tiring for a fellow like you to be chased around all day by every girl in town..."

Gaston grunted, thinking back to earlier that evening when Rose had rejected him. "Not all of them would," he muttered.

The figure smirked. "Oh, is that so?" he said.

"Belle! He means Belle! She rejected him!" Lefou shouted, still laying down flat on the ground like a carpet.

"It's true," Gaston said, shaking his head miserably. "She was the most beautiful girl in town. With that, I thought we would've been perfect for each other."

Rubbing his chin, the figure leaned in closer. "I can't imagine how mad you must be. But, certainly, you wouldn't give up so easily like that."

Gaston lifted a brow. "Okay, then. What do you suggest that I do?"

Gaston and the figure huddled together and constructed an evil plan. Lefou listened in while sipping the remains of his drink.

"An excellent plan indeed," Gaston cackled. He and the figure shook hands. "Pleasure doing business with you, Mister...?"

"The name's Pete. Big, bad Pete."

"Oh. Pete, then. I'll meet up with you again, Pete. Soon, I will have Belle as my wife! "

Pete joined Gaston in a maniacal fit of laughter.

"And I'll have that hat before anyone else does," Pete whispered to himself, rubbing his hands together in an evil manner.

He waited for Gaston to return back to his throne, with Lefou staggered behind him, before he slipped out a small golden mirror from his cape. "Show me the girl," Pete demanded. His reflection in the mirror slowly dissolved into an image of Rose sitting down in her room.

Pete smirked and placed the mirror back in his coat pocket. Trying not to cause too much attention, he slipped out of the bar with his back against the wall.

Outside of the bar, Pete continued to walk, until he felt another body slam into his.

"Hey, watch where you're going, runt!" he screeched.

The body stood up and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, sir, my mistake," a weak old man's voice said. It was Maurice that Pete had ran into. "It's just that I...well, will you help me out, please, sir? I'm very desperate. You see, my daughter has been..."

Without bothering to listen to Maurice, Pete marched away. Maurice fell to his knees and sobbed.

"Will no one help me?"

**OK, so, that was it for the first chapter. This is the first fanfic I've ever written on this website, so it obviously has some flaws. I'll keep working on it, though. Please review what I have so far, and leave some suggestions for movies that I should include in this story! **

**Oh, and just a quick shout-out to grapejuice101 for being the first person on here to support me! :)**

**Stay tuned for chapter 2!**


	2. Chapter 2: Thief!

**Disclaimer: Anything Disney/Pixar related in this story does not belong to me.**

Chapter 2: Thief!

**At the Beast's castle...**

It had been a few hours since I arrived at the Beast's castle, and I was still in the bed. Around five o'clock, I had fallen asleep, but quickly woke up from a nightmare.

For once in my life, my dream had actually connected to my life, but only in a way that made no sense to me. I was sitting down in the dead center of a beautiful ballroom, wearing an elegant yellow ballgown. My hair was done-up in a neat bun with loose trails of hair riding down my back.

Scared, I looked around the ballroom and noticed a dark shadow holding the Beast in his huge hands. The Beast wiggled around, struggling to break loose, and let out a sad roar.

The shadow and the Beast slowly advanced towards me. "Love him," the shadow's raspy voice commanded.

I raised a brow. "What?"

"Love the beast! Tell him that you love him!" the voice said loudly. It was clear from his voice that he was starting to get angry with me.

I looked at the Beast. His eyes were as sad and confused as mine.

"But...I-I don't..." I forced the last words out of my mouth. "I don't love him."

The shadow chuckled and threw the Beast to the ground. "Fine, then. I guess being imprisoned in a castle would be _much _better than going to Disney World..." the shadow made his way over to the doors, about to exit. I rushed over and flung my body in front of him.

"Wait! What do you mean?" I asked. The shadow remained quiet and reached for the doorknob, but I swatted his hand away. "Listen, tiny. You have one minute to explain to me what's going on, or I swear to God, I'll..."

"Temper, temper," the shadow hissed, turning around. "Watch it, missy. We have ways around here to deal with hotheads like you, that I'm sure you're not going to like."

I sighed in frustration. "Just tell me, where the hell am I, and how do I get out of here?"

The shadow began, "Well, as you may have figured out already, the hat brought you here."

"The hat?" I said, cutting him short. "The sorcerer's hat, you mean?"

"Yes, Mickey Mouse's hat. It seems that it somehow got misplaced and ended up in your world. To get home, you must find the hat."

"And exactly how do I do that?"

"That's the thing. You need to complete every movie to move on to the next. You know, defeat the villains, all that heroic stuff..."

I interrupted the shadow again and asked him another question. "So, what you're saying is, in order to move on to the next movie I need to fall in love with the Beast?"

The figure nodded. "Yep. You'll find that hat somewhere eventually," he said, finishing with a sinister laugh. "Better get going, before someone else finds it first."

"But, how can I love someone that I don't?" I said in a worried tone. "What will happen?"

"Oh, let's take a look, shall we?"

The figure's hands shot out into the small ray of light underneath the dimmed chandelier. He clapped them together, and the light focused on the Beast. With a loud _thump, _he fell down to the ground. Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, and his other servants came into view, all teary eyed. Something floated down onto the Beast's chest, which took me a while to figure out what it was.

I gasped. It was the last petal of his rose. Not only was he doomed to remain a beast, but worse, he was _dead. _

I looked back at the shadow, practically crying. "No! It's-it's not my fault!" I stuttered. "Just get me out of here, please!"

A grin formed on the shadow's darkened face. "No can do, sweet cheeks," he said.

Then, a knock at my door woke me up. I jumped up, hitting my head on the canopy.

"Who is it?" I called out, rubbing my head.

The door slowly opened. Mrs. Potts was peeking into my room through a crack.

"It's Mrs. Potts, dear. I thought you might like a spot of tea."

I wasn't thirsty, but I let them come in anyway. Mrs. Potts led her son, Chip, and the other tea cups through the door and over to my side.

"I told you she was pretty, mama, didn't I?" Chip whispered as he was being filled with sugar and milk. I grinned, feeling flattered.

"All right, Chip, that'll do," Mrs. Potts said. Chip took little hops to reach me, spilling drops of tea on the floor. "Slowly, now. Don't spill!"

"Talking teacups?" I said in between giggles. I looked over to my side and noticed that the wardrobe had sprung to life, too. "Oh, and a wardrobe," I added.

Mrs. Potts and the wardrobe both looked at me and smiled sweetly.

"That was a very brave thing you did, my dear," Mrs. Potts said.

_I only did it because Belle did, _I thought to myself.

"We all think so," the wardrobe added in agreement.

"I'm very surprised, I must say. You're taking this very well, dear."

_"Belle,"_ I said, taking a sip of the warm tea. "My name's Belle."

Mrs. Potts' eyes brightened. "Pleasure to meet you, Belle. You have a very lovely name, you kn-" stopping her sentence, Mrs. Potts looked up blankly, as if she had forgotten to say something. "Oops! Look at me, jabbering on, when there's supper on the table. Chip!"

Chip followed his mother out the doorway. He poked his head out the door and looked back at me. "Bye!"

"Bye, Chip."

I started out the doorway with them, hungry for supper, when suddenly, a ribbon wrapped around my waist and pulled me back. The wardrobe forced me over to her and swung open her drawers.

"Well now, what shall we dress you in for dinner? Let's see what I've got in my drawers," the wardrobe opened another drawer, moths flying out of it. They swarmed around me, and I slapped them away, groaning. The wardrobe immediately closed the moth-filled drawer and giggled. "Oh! How embarrassing! Here we are. You'll look ravishing in that one."

The wardrobe pulled out a long sleeved pink dress and threw it at me. I caught it in my arms and folded it on the bed. "Sorry, but, I rather be eating alone."

That, I think, was the only true thing I had said while stuck as Belle. Seeing the Beast would just be a cruel reminder of what happened to him in my dream, and I was almost too focused on that to talk to anyone else.

Everything kept quiet until Cogsworth arrived at the door, belting out a few "ahems".

"Dinner...is served."

I looked down at Cogsworth with an awkward expression on my face. "Uh...about that...I'm not going."

Cogsworth paused for a moment, holding a large grin just as weird as mine. With his teeth sealed together, he murmured, "eh...what was that?"

Louder, I repeated the same words I used before, only with more stuttering and making the situation more uncomfortable. Cogsworth dropped his grin and glowed a sickly green with fear. He circled around the room, pacing back and forth, muttering, "oh dear, oh dear, oh dear" under his breath.

Folding my arms, I stared at him with an icy yet confused glare. "What's the big deal?" I asked him.

Cogsworth stopped in his tracks and faced me with big, sappy eyes. "This is horrible, horrible, I say!" he said, shivering.

I sat down on the bed, my lip poking out in an un-amused sort of way. I raised a brow and let out a long sigh. "What's 'horrible, horrible'?" I said, mimicking him.

"Master!" Cogsworth bellowed, grabbing onto my shoulders and shaking me around. "He'll be furious! Furious, absolutely furi-"

Right at that moment, the room flooded with silence. All that was heard were faint whispers outside in the hallway. Cogsworth and I listened in, him biting his nonexistent fingernails and me with my ear pressed to the door. I could only make out what the Beast was saying in his deep, shallow voice.

"It's no use," he said doubtfully. "She's so beautiful. And I'm so...well...look at me!"

Cogsworth ran over to my side, his face completely washed out with panic, and fell to the ground. "I give up," he whaled. "Just let him punish me. I've been a dreadful servant."

I pressed my finger to my lip, shushing him. "You have to tell them, Cogsworth," I said.

Cogsworth shook his head. "No, no, no! You must attend, mademoiselle. Master's orders."

"No way. Just...do it."

I twisted the doorknob and pushed Cogsworth out into the hallway."Here she is!" I heard Lumiere say in a surprised tone as everyone turned their attention to the door. Cogsworth inched into view, laughing timidly with the same awkward grin on his face that he wore in the bedroom.

"Hehe...uh...good evening," Cogsworth whispered.

The Beast flared his nostrils, growing impatient. "Well? Where is she?" he roared.

"Who? Oh! The girl. Yes, the, ah, girl. Well, actually, she's in the process of, ah, um, circumstances being what they are, ah..." Cogsworth twiddled his thumbs nervously. "...she's not coming."

"WHAT?!"

I felt the vibrations of the Beast's footsteps advancing towards the door and slammed it shut. With his huge fists, he pounded on the door, demanding it to open.

"No one's home," I called out to him.

Ignoring my comment, the Beast kept knocking on the door violently until the room started to shake. "I thought I told you to come down for dinner!" he shouted in rage.

"With you? Unlikely."

"You'll come out or I'll break down the door!" The Beast threatened. With all my might, I pushed my back against the door and gripped onto the doorknob. The Beast tried wiggling it to open, but it wouldn't budge.

"That's not a very polite way of asking someone to have dinner with them, you know," I said sarcastically.

Outside, the Beast groaned in frustration, eventually giving up trying to open the door. I knew he was still furious at me, though. Lumiere stood by the Beast, attempting to help him out.

"Master, I could be wrong, but that may not be the best way to win the girl's affection."

Cogsworth hopped over to Lumiere and added to the conversation. "Please! Attempt to be a gentleman!" he pleaded.

The Beast snarled and threw his paws at the door, as if he were pointing to me. "But she is being so...difficult!" he said, his fangs sealed together.

"Gently, gently," Mrs. Potts instructed, her voice smooth as silk.

The Beast rolled his eyes and tuned into a dull voice. "Will you come down to dinner?"

"Hmm, let me take a moment to think..." my voice trailed off. Then, I screeched, "No!"

"Ahem, ahem," Cogsworth coughed, capturing the Beast's attention. "We say 'please'."

"Please."

"Like a 'please' would do anything!" I scoffed.

Once again, the Beast hammered at the door. "You can't stay in there forever!" he cried, his voice echoing throughout the castle.

"Yes I can!"

"Fine! THEN GO AHEAD AND STARVE!" Enraged, the Beast whirled around, almost knocking down his servants. "If she doesn't eat with me, then she doesn't eat at all!" He then whisked away, bolting down the staircase on all-fours.

**In the courtroom...**

Meanwhile, in the courthouse located towards the end of Main Street, the judges were in a fit of rage. The previous day, Mickey sent his hot-tempered best friend, Donald Duck, on a mission to retrieve his lost hat. Donald, acting as a sleuth, questioned several of the different characters in the world of Disney to find any traces of the thief.

As the judges were sitting around the courtroom, struggling to figure everything out, the doors burst open. Donald entered, taking heavy, angry footsteps. The judges exchanged looks, soon turning their attention to Donald

"What is it, Donald? Did you catch the criminal?" asked Jiminy Cricket, one of the judges of the courtroom. Unlike his fellow acquaintances, Jiminy was hardly the size of a fingernail. He always spoke in a soft, gentle voice, but his words were still very powerful.

Donald paused to catch his breath. "I...found...some...evidence..." he huffed out.

Everyone in the courtroom looked up at Donald in shock. None of them expected him to be so devoted to something as he was with his task.

Merlin, who appeared to be the most surprised of them all, jumped out of his seat and bellowed, "GET ON WITH IT, DUCK!"

A normal response from Donald would be a tantrum. Instead, he continued on with his sentence calmly. "The portal has been opened!" he announced.

All ten of the judges let out a loud gasp.

"But, the only two humans that know about the portal are Walt and Alexander," Mufasa, another judge and the former ruler of Pride Rock, added to the discussion.

Donald cleared his dry throat with a swallow of saliva. "Yes," he began in a clearer voice. "But, when Walt..._died..._he left the portal in a box in his old house. So, that must mean..."

"Somebody found the mirror in the house!" howled Jiminy as the courtroom burst out in gasps.

Merlin adjusted his circular glasses and dug through his pockets, searching for something. "My wand, my wand! Where is it?" he said.

Fairy Godmother, who was sitting next to Merlin, tapped his shoulder. She handed him his wand, which had fallen underneath his chair.

"Ah, there it is. Now, let's see here...ahem..." Merlin tapped on the end of the wand, igniting sparks. "Grumpy, hand me my spell-book, please."

"Oh no," Donald said. "He's casting another spell in the courtroom."

"Take cover!" somebody shrieked.

Merlin rolled his eyes at each of the comments. "Oh, it won't be too dangerous. It will help us find out who the thief is," he explained. With a wave of his wand, Merlin began reciting one of his magical spells.

Suddenly, a flash of light lit the room. From the flash of light came a floating orb that created an image. The image was of me, sitting down beside the door in her new bedroom, fighting to stay awake.

"Who is that?" Peter Pan, the youngest of the judges, asked.

"_That's _our criminal!" Donald shouted at him in rage. "That little brat stole my pal's hat!"

Grumpy got up on his toes to inspect the image. "I don't see no hat anywhere!" he said, folding his arms.

Jiminy sat down at his tiny table, rubbing his temples. "Now, I'm sure, if we question with the young lady, she'll tell us where it is," he said easily. Then, he turned to face Merlin and asked, "Is there a spell you could use to bring the girl in?"

Merlin was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out a solution. "Well, I suppose I could experiment a bit..." he said. The judges all scooted their chairs away to prepare themselves. "...let's see what we've got in here."

Merlin picked up his bulky spell-book and flipped through the thousands of pages, examining the text carefully, paragraph by paragraph.

Donald's patience, as well as Grumpy's, were wearing thin. "HURRY UP, WOULD YA?!" they hollered in unison.

"Aha!" Merlin said brightly as he pointed to a blur of words. "This should bring her here in no time! Ahem, ahem..._bringitis, quickitis, lickimis!"_

Just then, the room turned pitch black. Donald was at the cusp of throwing a fit.

Merlin gave a sheepish laugh and clapped his hands together. Lightning, once again, lit the room, but this time, it sent a small rabbit with baby blue fur and droopy blonde ears. That rabbit was none other than myself.

"What the hell is going on?!" I shouted in a high-pitch cry.

Donald looked over to Merlin with a disapproving glare. "Merlin, you weren't supposed to send us a RABBIT!" he said.

Merlin grunted. "I told you," he said. "I was_ experimenting_."

"YOU TURNED ME INTO A WHAT?!" I screeched at the top of my lungs.

"I'll fix it in a jiff," Merlin said, raising his wand in the air. _"Humantis mutantis!" _he added, lightly patting my head with the end of the wand.

Slowly, I felt myself transform back into a 15-year-old girl. I spun around, growing dizzy, and fell to the ground.

"Rise, crook!" King Triton demanded.

I attempted to do so, but quickly dropped back down. "Oy...I think I need a chair..." I said, holding my stomach to prevent from throwing up.

Donald scoffed. "Bandits don't rest!" he said in a mild tone, restraining a scream.

Right at that moment, I finally restored my balance and shot up in the air. "YOU THINK I'M A BANDIT?!" I cried, baffled.

Donald gave a confident nod. "I don't think so. I _know _so," he said.

"_We _know so," Fairy Godmother corrected, although Donald didn't bother to pay attention.

I frowned, placing my hands on my hips angrily. "Well, unless you can provide any proof that I am a 'thief'..." I started, until Donald cut me off.

"Oh, ho-ho. We have proof," he hissed. "Care to explain..._this!"_

Out from his shirt pocket, Donald pulled out a small golden mirror and brought it at least an inch away from my eyes. I pushed it back, squinting at the chipped glass.

"It's a mirror," I said.

Donald slapped his face with his hand. "I can see that," was his reply. "But, what's _in _the glass?"

"Well, right now, I see my reflection. But, if we turn it this way..." holding it by the frame, I spun the mirror around so that my reflection was now Donald's. "...all I can see is a stupid parrot who has no experience as a judge whatsoever."

Immediately, Donald's face went from white to bright red. He clenched his fists tightly by his side, fuming with anger. "YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT A STUPID PARROT CAN DO?!" he roared.

The next thing I felt was a body throw itself onto mine. Donald was screeching into my ear, throwing punches at me that I quickly dodged.

"Nice...move..." I snickered as Donald attempted to kick at my shins. "...trying to beat up a girl. That's a low, even for a goose."

Instead of aiming for my shins, Donald kicked at one of the tables in the courtroom and knocked it down, sending several loose documents flying across the room.

"I AM A DUCK! A DUCK!" he said, punting at the fallen table.

When the moment was right, Merlin and Grumpy bolted from their seats and grabbed onto Donald's arms, dragging him back to his stand. The courtroom-once so neat-was now a complete mess.

"Sorry about that," Jiminy apologized. "He's...like that a lot."

I grinned teasingly at Donald in return.

Jiminy turned to face Donald. "Donald, would you like to continue?" he asked him coolly.

Donald groaned and delivered a slight nod. "Alright, let's get this over with," he murmured. "Besides your reflection, or a 'stupid parrot', what else do you see in the mirror?"

Once again, I looked carefully at the glass, but the only thing I saw was my confused face.

"Nothing," I said to the judges. "Like I said, I only see myself."

"Look harder. Things aren't always as they seem..."

Obeying my command, I peered into the glass. In a matter of seconds, my reflection dissolved into an image of a tall blue hat covered in silver stars. Within an instant, I recognized it to be the sorcerer's hat that had taken me here.

Donald waited for a minute, then proceeded with the trial. "What do you see, now?"

"I see a hat," I said. "Mickey's hat. He wore it in _Fantasia." _

"Have you seen it anywhere else before?" he asked.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah. It was in one of my moving boxes."

"SO YOU DID STEAL IT!" about fifty percent of the courtroom bellowed out.

I shook my head in disagreement. "No. I found it, and I tried it on. Then, I found myself in a village dressed as Belle," I explained to the judges. I paused to catch my breath, then continued on. "I know that the hat took me here somehow, and it'll probably take me back if I find it."

"Did you lose it?" Peter Pan said while scraping a chunk of dirt from the inside of his fingernails, obviously bored with the conversation.

"Yeah. I lost it while going through that crazy vortex," I said. "And then, while I was at this castle, I had a dream. In that dream, there was this...man...and he told me that, in order to get it back, I had to go through a bunch of different Disney movies. I don't know if that's true or not."

"It is, actually," Jiminy said. "The same thing happened to..."

Before Jiminy could finish, Mufasa and Grumpy covered up his small mouth, both with concerned expressions on their faces.

Jiminy coughed as his mouth was freed. "Anyway, Miss...?" he said.

"Rose," I said.

"Alright, then. Miss Rose, you mentioned that you were from the human world, did you not?"

"At some point, probably."

"Oh," Jiminy said, a bit taken back for a some reason. "Well, then. Someone from our dimension must have stolen the hat and put it through the portal."

"If you see anyone suspicious along your journey, do question them about the hat. Once you find it, return it to Mickey immediately, or someone else will gain the hat's powers and become the new ruler," Fairy Godmother added with a soft grin. "Good luck, dear."

"Can't you guys take me back home?" I asked, staring into the Fairy Godmother's gentle eyes. She shook her head gravely.

Merlin stepped back into the frame, trying to tackle on another one of his newly-found spells. _"Returnus, alermus, caslemus!" _he whooped, conjuring a swirling tunnel.

Donald stood by my side, nudging my shoulder to get my attention. "Hey, sorry we got off to a rough start," he said.

My lips formed a half smile. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's nice to have made enemies with a beloved children's character."

Donald chuckled faintly. "Give this to whoever stole the hat for me, would ya?" he said, delivering another punch that I dodged.

"No problem. I'm sure they'll appreciate it," I said sarcastically.

The judges waved at me as I headed towards the tunnel, bidding their farewells. Grumpy even managed to give a small a clap.

"See ya real soon!" were the last words I heard from the courtroom. Apparently, those four words had become the official "goodbyes" of the Disney Planet.

I waved back at them, wearing a fake smile, and crawled into the tunnel.

**Back at the castle...**

Finally, the long tunnel came to an end at a small, wooden door. I twisted the knob and wiggled my body through the crack, landing on my hands and feet in the main hallway back in the Beast's castle.

The door shut behind me and vanished until it was nothing but a bare spot on the wall.

I watched as it dissolved, then got back on my feet, brushing the dirt off my dress. "Where is everyone?" I said to myself, looking around the castle.

I started to wander around the corridors, poking my head into each room. There was no one insight.

Later on, I heard a voice call out from the hallways, "hello? is somebody there?", followed by soft footsteps.

Lumiere emerged from a passageway. "Zut alors!" he exclaimed. "Where could the girl have gone?"

Cogsworth entered shortly after him. "Maybe she ran away," he suggested with a shrug.

"No, she couldn't have," Mrs. Potts said as she strolled in with the other teacups. "The guards would have alerted us."

Chip looked up at his mother, confused. "Mama, what's going on?" he asked her in a tired voice, then letting out a big yawn.

Mrs. Potts chuckled. "Nothing of your concern, Chip. Off to bed with you, now."

"I'm not tired!" Chip protested.

Shooting him a stern glare, Mrs. Potts said, "Chip, it's far passed your bedtime. Follow your brothers and sisters to the cupboards."

"Fine," Chip sighed. The other teacups led him out the doorway and marched to the kitchen.

After waiting for them to leave, Mrs. Potts looked over to the others. "Gentlemen, I'm very concerned about the girl," she said gravely. "The master will be furious if he finds out..."

"He won't find out," Lumiere assured them. "Not unless we keep him distracted."

Cogsworth scoffed. "Oh, this is going to be a disaster," he said, shaking his head doubtfully. "He's bound to find out she's missing! We're goners!"

I pressed my back against the wall as the threesome walked by, then sprung out in front of them. Each of them jumped back, startled.

"No need to worry, guys," I said to them with a reassuring smile. "I've been downstairs this whole time."

Cogsworth's eyes widened in disbelief. "But-but we checked down here several times..." he said, until Lumiere sealed his mouth together with a hand.

"What he means is, we're so glad you're safe, mademoiselle," Lumiere said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lumiere, humble servant of Prince Adam."

"Prince Adam?" I repeated. A long, awkward pause filled the room. "Oh, you mean, the Beast," I finally concluded.

Lumiere nodded. "Well, he much rather prefers to be called Adam, but Beast would work as well."

Cogsworth slapped Lumiere's hand, releasing his grip, and loudly breathed in the fresh air .

"Oh, and this is Cogsworth," Lumiere added, rolling his eyes.

Cogsworth bowed. "Always a pleasure," he said.

I smiled. "I'm Belle. But, feel free to call me 'R' if you'd like."

Cogsworth and Lumiere stood there with blank expressions.

"How does that relate to your name?" Cogsworth asked.

"Oh, it's a long story," I said, adding a shrug at the end. "I'll explain it later, if I have time."

"Oh, well, of course you'll have time," Lumiere said as he guided me into the dining room. "The castle is your home. You'll be staying here for a while."

Cogsworth slid in front of the doorway, blocking the entrance with his small body. "Lumiere, what the blazes do you think you're doing?" he yelled. "You're not planning to feed the girl, are you?"

Lumiere beamed, giving Cogsworth a pat on the back. "Oh, do lighten up, Cogsworth," he said. Cogsworth grumbled and turned away from his acquaintance, displeased by his irrational behavior. "She's our guest! We must make her feel welcome here!"

Cogsworth glared at Lumiere and heaved a sigh. "Well, keep it down," he ordered him to do. "If the master finds out about all this, it will be our necks!"

"Of course, of course. But what is dinner without a little music?"

Lumiere and I chuckled as the doors flung open to the dining room. We both entered, ignoring Cogsworth, who had fallen into a pot filled with batter after getting knocked out by the doors. During his launch that was given to him by Lumiere, Cogsworth belched out the single word, "MUSIC?!" in anger.

Meanwhile, in the dinning room, I walked over to the one chair that the servants had set up at the end of a long, narrow table.

The lights were dimmed. The room was almost faded black, until a spotlight appeared out of nowhere, focusing on Lumiere.

"Ma chere, mademoiselle. It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you here tonight. And now, we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair, as the dining room proudly presents...your dinner."

_Be our guest, be our guest_

_Put our service to the test_

_Tie a napkin around your neck, cherie_

_And we provide the rest!_

I gasped as dozens of trays and dishes hopped around the dining table. I stuck my finger in a few to sample the food that was being served.

_Soup du jour, hot hors d'oeuvres_

_Why we only live to serve_

_Try the grey stuff, it's delicious_

_Don't believe me? Ask the dishes!_

_They can sing, they can dance_

_After all, miss, this is France!_

_And a dinner here is never second best!_

_Go on unfold your menu, take a glance and then you'll_

_Be our guest, be our guest, be our guest!_

As the song went on, a cloaked figure was glancing into the window. He chuckled and pushed back his hood, exposing his identity: Pete, of course.

Pete pressed his face against the window, smirking. "Stupid girl. Wastin' your time with singin' silverware," he mumbled to himself. "You have no idea what's comin' to you. Hehehe..."

Pete whirled around as he heard a bush rustle behind him. With a grimace, he said, "Boy, get over here!"

Out from the shrubbery came Gaston, struggling to break loose from a group of thorns. "A little help, boss?" he whispered.

Pete rolled his eyes and gripped onto Gaston's arms. He yanked him back, causing Gaston to fall flat on his face.

"Lookie here, Gaston," Pete said as Gaston brushed a cloud of dirt off his red pants. "There she is, just like I said."

"Hmm, perhaps the old man isn't as crazy as I thought," Gaston said, rubbing his chin. He then turned to his boss and asked, "so, can we do it now?"

Pete looked off into the distance, lost in his own thought. "I suppose we could," he responded. "Remember the plan?"

Gaston nodded. "How could I forget? We send Maurice to the asylum, and I strike a deal with Belle," he said with confidence.

"Good work, Gaston," Pete said as his lips curled to an evil grin. "Now, let's head back, before anyone catches us out here."

The two men took off on a horse-drawn carriage as a bolt of lightning stroke behind the castle.

From inside the castle, I flinched at the flash of light. Lumiere and Cogsworth, tired after finishing their musical number, slowly walked towards my seat.

"It is only lightning, mademoiselle," Lumiere said in a comforting voice. "Nothing to be afraid of."

I slouched down in my chair, feeling more relaxed.

Cogsworth hopped over to the windowsill and watched as the rain poured down. "Oh, dear," he said, shivering. "Lumiere, close the curtains, won't you?"

"Fine, fine," Lumiere said over his shoulder.

I looked down at him, smiling. "Well, I better get to bed," I said with a yawn. "See you in the morning, guys."

Lumiere and Cogsworth waved to me as I exited the dining room.

**That was it for the second chapter. Hope you enjoyed, and remember to review! **

**Also, I forgot to mention this before, but credits to for the script.**


	3. Chapter 3: Tale as Old as Time

Disclaimer: Anything Disney/Pixar in this story does not belong to me.

Chapter 3: Tale as Old as Time

**In the bedroom...**

I opened the door slowly, careful not to wake the wardrobe, and hopped into bed. It was still raining outside, more heavily than when I had noticed.

My eyes focused out the window. I couldn't see anything, but I could still make out the shapes of the trees in the forest. Rain that had fallen from the gutters was pouring down the window like a waterfall.

"Psst, Belle?" a voice squeaked.

I turned around, noticing Chip standing by the doorway. "Chip, what are you doing?" I asked. "Weren't you asleep?

Chip leaped into the bedroom as another bolt of lightning flashed from outside. "I-I got scared, Belle," he whispered, poking out his bottom lip. "Can I sleep here, please?"

I shrugged. "Sure, I guess you could, but I wasn't planning on going to bed anytime soon, so I might keep you up for awhile."

A large smile grew on Chip's little face. "Oh, that's alright. I'm a heavy sleeper," he said, nestling himself up on a fluffy pillow that had fallen beside my bed. "I just don't like storms. They're scary!"

"Yeah, but it's only rain," I said, giggling.

Chip closed his eyes, whispering, "I know. But, sometimes the littlest things can be the scariest."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

I twisted my neck over to the other side of the room, waiting for a response from Chip. He had sunken into his pillow, fast asleep.

The room then became silent. The lightning had passed, and all was left of the storm was a trickling rainfall. I looked back at the foggy horizon, feeling my eyes grow droopy.

With a short stretch and a yawn, I rested my head in my arms, which were placed on the windowsill. Slowly, my eyes started to close.

Shortly after, they flashed open again, as I heard a faint horse's gallop outside. Through the stained glass, I could make out the horse and the carriage that it was pulling.

My eyes widened with fear as only one thought rushed through my mind. It was Maurice! Had he gotten lost? Was Phillipe coming back to retrieve his corpse?

Without thinking, I stormed out of the room and tied a cape around my neck. I ran down the stairs, going as fast as my legs could carry me, making my way through the double doors.

As soon as I got outside, I shivered and coughed into my sleeve. The air was bitter and choppy, and the rain was starting to increase.

I squinted, trying to find the carriage. "Papa? Are you there?" I called. There was no answer.

Suddenly, a faint neigh echoed from the forest. I rushed through the entrance and looked around nervously.

"Steady, boy!" a male voice cried.

I raised a brow, confused. The voice sounded nothing like Maurice's; it was deep and demanding, and it sounded...familiar. Where have I heard it before?

"Who-who's there?" I said, barely able to be heard over the loud pitter-patters of the rain.

Out of the fog came a shadow of the carriage. The horse pulling it let out another neigh as the coachman whipped him across the neck.

"Why have we stopped?" another man's voice whispered. I groaned. The voice, without a doubt, belonged to Gaston.

From inside the carriage, a grunt came from the man with the deeper voice. He commanded, "Pierre, let's get a move on! The asylum can't wait much longer!"

I covered my mouth with my hand to hold back a shriek. They were going to take poor, old Maurice to an insane asylum!

Gaston snarled. "Just let me drive! This is taking too long," he said in a whiny tone.

The coachman turned back to face the carriage and said, "Sorry, gents. We're stuck in the mud."

Gaston and the other man sighed in unison.

I ran up to the coachman, hiding my face underneath my hood, and shouted, "Hey! Over here!"

The coachman looked around the empty forest with a concerned look. "Wha-who's there?" he said.

"Down here!"

The coachman glared down at me, trembling. He then let out a sigh of relief. "Sorry. I thought you were a monster," was his apology. I rolled my eyes. "What are you doing out here, girl? Don't you know it's almost midnight?"

"Who do I look like to you, Cinderella? Of course I'm aware of that," I said, placing my hands on my hips. "Look, I just need you to listen to me. I can get your carriage out of the mud."

The coachman raised his brows, surprised. "Really? You can do that?" he spat out. "How will you get it out?"

"Oh, it's simple, really. Allow me to demonstrate," I walked around the mud puddle, standing still in front of the horse. Rolling up my sleeves, I clapped my two hands together.

"Is it working yet?" the coachman asked.

I shushed him and continued on. "Here, boy!" I shouted at the horse as the clapping got louder.

The horse neighed and struggled to shoot out from the mud. I clapped harder at him, whistling. Finally, the horse broke loose and bolted away into the direction I was facing, pulling the carriage with him at a rapid speed.

"Thaaaaaaaaank-yoooooouu!" the coachman called.

I smiled and waved at them sweetly. As the carriage rode off into the night, I turned around and snickered. The path that the carriage was following led to somewhere other than the village.

I began to head back to the castle, before anyone noticed that I had left. Just as I took my first step, I heard a growl from behind one of the trees.

A shiver ran down my back as a wolf sprung out in front of me. I gasped and stepped back slowly. The wolf howled up at the moon, exposing its razor-sharp fangs.

To my luck, more wolves appeared from the fog surrounding the forest. They all closed in on me as I drew farther back, my back eventually hitting a tree. I shrunk back in fear, ready to become someone's dinner.

The wolves remained still. One of the wolves emerged from the pack, quickening towards me. He sprung into the air and thrashed his fangs into my leg. I screamed, kicking the wolf with my free foot until he fell to the ground, leaving a deep gash near my knee.

Before I knew it, the other wolves were approaching me. All over my body, I felt teeth sink into my flesh and claws rip my dress into tatters. I kicked and punched the wolves away, although it was no use. No matter what I did to defend myself, they kept coming back.

Then, everything went black.

**Moments later...**

My eyes flickered open. I blinked and sat up, holding my throbbing arm.

"What...happened?" I whispered, looking around the room as my eyes started to adjust.

Mrs. Potts was by my side, sitting on a tray set up on the table beside me. Lumiere and Cogsworth looked on from the fireplace mantle, relieved that I was alive. My body was reclined in a large armchair resting by the dying fire in the fireplace.

"You gave us quite the scare, child," Mrs. Potts said warmly. "We thought you had died out there."

Cogsworth folded his arms angrily. "Good heavens! What did you think you were doing, girl?"

Lumiere nudged him in the arm, shooting him a displeasing frown. "Cogsworth, now is not the time to be irrational. She could have been killed with those wolves if the master hadn't rescued her..."

My jaw nearly dropped. "He saved me?" I repeated, eyes widened in disbelief. "Well, where is he? Didn't he make it back?"

Lumiere nodded as his frown turned to a grin. "Yes, he's just being a little shy, that's all," he said teasingly.

I smiled and craned my neck over the chair. Standing in the darkly-lit corner of the study was the Beast.

The Beast stepped in front of the fire. He was glowering and had flared, angry nostrils. "If you hadn't run away, this wouldn't have happened!" he said bitterly.

I looked down at my bandaged arm. "I didn't run away!" I snarled back at him, covering up the open cuts and scratches with my dress sleeve. "I saw a carriage, and I thought it was my father, so I went after it!"

Everyone in the room stared at me with blank expressions. I slouched down in my chair, and tried to rephrase the sentence.

"I just wanted to go back to my house with my father..." I said, curling a piece of hair with my finger. Everyone kept their same expressions. I shook my head and said, "OK, maybe it's running away. So what?"

"You could have been killed! You have no idea what's out there..." the Beast objected.

"I can take care of myself, thank-you very much!" I yelled as I shot up from my seat.

"Well, obviously, you can't! If I hadn't driven those wolves away, there's no telling what could have happened to you..."

"I didn't ask for any help! Especially from you!"

As the argument went on, Lumiere and Cogsworth were rubbing their temples in distress. "It's hopeless," Cogsworth said under his breath with a sigh.

The Beast glanced at Cogsworth, then looked down at his feet. His eyes began to water as he whispered, "I just wanted you to be safe."

I stood there, speechless. "Look, I'm really sorry for what I said," I said after taking a breath. "Without your help, I would've been torn to bits. So...thank-you."

"You're welcome," the Beast replied softly.

**The following day...**

The next morning began with a heavy snowfall. The Beast and I were having our first breakfast together when we noticed it.

"Look!" I said excitedly, pointing out the window. "It's snowing outside!"

The Beast looked up from his porridge and gazed out the window. "You can go out, if you'd like," he said.

I grinned and threw my arms around his bulky, furry neck. "Oh, thank-you!" I said, my voice muffled in his cloak.

Whenever I saw snow, or something that looked relatively close to snow, I couldn't help but think about my old home in Canada. Every year, we had a giant snowstorm. My brothers and I always liked to build forts in the snowbanks and have our own snowball fights, which always turned out disastrous.

After wrapping myself in a cranberry colored robe, I headed outside, giggling as the snowflakes collected in my hair.

The Beast, Cogsworth, and Lumiere were standing in a balcony that was overlooking the front yard. The Beast was staring down at me with weary eyes.

"I've never felt this way about anyone," he muttered. "I want to do something for her. But what?"

"Well, there's the usual things-flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep..." said Cogsworth.

Lumiere interrupted Cogsworth by giving the Beast more helpful advice. "Ah, no, no. It has to be something very special. Something that sparks her inter-wait a minute."

A few hours later, the Beast guided me through the hallways to his "surprise". The Beast looked down at me and said, "Belle, there's something I want to show you."

I raised a brow. "Is it another 'forbidden room'?" I asked in an overly dramatic tone.

He smiled and shook his head. "No, it's something very special. But first, you have to close your eyes," he instructed me to do. "It's a surprise."

I closed my eyes tightly and felt his hairy paw press against my back. "Can I open them now?" I asked after walking into the surprise room.

"Yes. You can open them now."

The Beast grinned as my eyes blinked open. I gasped in amazement and wandered around the room. The walls were covered from top to bottom in beautiful paintings, and around the room stood hundreds of blank canvases and expensive paints.

I turned to the Beast with a bright, gleaming look on my face. "It's amazing!" I whispered as his cheeks became bright red.

He let out a nervous chuckle. "So, do you like it?"

Without any hesitation, I nodded. "Did you paint these yourself?" I asked, referring to the paintings hanging on the wall.

"Most of them, yes," The Beast said a bit modestly. "I used to paint when I was younger and...a human."

"Well, I bet you still can," I said.

The Beast shrugged. "Maybe, I don't know. But, with these claws, it'd take a miracle to paint something decent."

"Here, I'll help you," I said, leading him to one of the blank canvases. I took out a thin brush from the easel and placed it in the Beast's hands. "We'll started out with a few simple strokes. Gently..."

Together, the Beast and I painted a stroke of blue on the canvas. I released my grip on the brush and watched as the Beast thickened the blue line.

He turned to face me, revealing a large grin on his face. "Hey, I'm doing it!" he said happily.

I smiled and looked at the blue stroke of paint. "Now, here's the fun part. You can paint whatever you'd like," I said.

"Like, more lines, you mean?" the Beast said without thinking.

"Whatever you want. Just use your imagination."

After painting, I headed back outside and pleaded for the Beast to come with me. Together, we raced down the steps and sat down in the snow, offering seeds to the birds fluttering by.

As I spread the birdseed around the snow, I felt the Beast's eyes focusing on me. I smiled and glared back at him, but he turned away quickly.

_There's something sweet_  
_And almost kind_  
_But he was mean_  
_And he was coarse and unrefined._

_But now he's dear_

_And so unsure,_

_I wonder why I didn't see it there before._

Meanwhile, the Beast was offering the birds a full handful of seeds. I took some birdseed from his hands and created a trail with it. The birds pecked at the birdseed and followed the trail, one bird landing on the Beast's hand. The Beast looked at me, smiling.

_She glanced this way_

_I thought I saw_

_And when we touched_  
_She didn't shudder at my paw_

_No it can't be_  
_I'll just ignore_  
_But then she's never looked at me that way before._

I left the Beast with the birds and hid behind a tree. Leaning against the tree, I pressed my hand against my beating heart.

_New, and a bit alarming_

_Who'd have ever thought that this could be?_

_True, that he's no Prince Charming_

_But there's something in him that I simply didn't see._

I watched as dozens of birds flew onto the Beast. He stood still as a statue, still holding a big grin on his face. I chucked a snowball at him and laughed.

From inside, the Beast's servants were watching our snowball fight outside the window. They turned to one another and smirked.

Lumiere: _Well, who'd have thought_?

Mrs. Potts: _Well, bless my soul!_

Cogsworth: _And who'd have known_?

Mrs. Potts: _Well, who indeed_?

Lumiere:_ And who'd have guessed they'd come together on their own_?

Mrs. Potts: _It's so peculiar._

_We'll wait and see_

_A few days more_

_There may be something there that wasn't there before._

Cogsworth looked on with an unusual gleam in his eyes. His lips formed a smile as he said, "Yes, perhaps there's something there that wasn't there before."

Chip stood by his mother's side with a puzzled expression. "What?" he asked curiously.

_"There may be something there that wasn't there before,"_ Mrs. Potts sang in reply.

"What's there, mama?" Chip said, still confused.

"I'll tell you when you're older."

**In the Beast's lair...**

The Beast was sitting down in an overflowing tub of bubbles while his servants cleaned him. Lumiere stood by his master's side, babbling on about the dinner that the two of us were having tonight.

"Tonight is the night!" he said cheerfully.

"I'm not sure I can do this," The Beast muttered as water poured down his head, causing his fur to droop over his eyes.

"You don't have to be timid," was Lumiere's advice. "You must be bold, daring."

"Bold, daring," the Beast repeated with confidence. He shook his soggy fur around and leaped out of the bathtub.

The water from the tub rained on Lumiere, blowing out his flames. With a groan, he wiped the water off. "There will be music, romantic candlelight, provided by myself, and, when the time is right, you confess your love."

The Beast sat himself down at a mirror. He looked at his reflection positively. "Yes, I-I con-no, I can't," the Beast stuttered, shaking his head.

"You care for the girl, don't you?" Lumiere asked as the Beast was getting pampered by a coat rack.

"More than anything."

"Well, then you must tell her," said Lumiere. He turned to face the Beast to give him an opinion on his new look. "You look so...so..." he said, searching for the right word to use.

The Beast glared at himself in the mirror. His fur was curled into large ringlets that were together with ridiculous blue bows.

"Stupid," he mumbled in a displeased tone.

"...not quite the word I was looking for," Lumiere said, scratching his head. "Perhaps a little more off the top."

The coat rack pulled on the Beast's hair, snipping it off with a pair of scissors.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem," a voice coughed near the doorway. Everybody in the room turned their attention to Cogsworth as he walked in, bowing. "Your lady awaits."

At the staircase, I exited my room and walked down the steps steadily. My old pink dress had changed into a gorgeous yellow ballgown, complete with a matching pair of heels. The Beast came out humbly dressed in a blue and golden suit.

As we met at the end of the opposite flights, he bowed his head. I curtsied in response, wearing a happy smile.

Mrs. Potts watched us from her tea tray, singing in a kind, gentle voice.

_Tale as old as time_

_True as it can be_

_Barely even friends_

_Then somebody bends, unexpectedly._

Linking arms, we made our way into the dining room and feasted on a warm bowl of soup. The servants poured wine into my glass, but I didn't care for it as much as the Beast did.

The same coat rack that styled the Beast made his way over to the table, strumming a violin. I laughed and got out of my seat, offering to dance with the Beast in the ballroom.

_Just a little change_

_Small to say the least_

_Both a little scared_

_Neither one prepared, beauty and the beast._

In the ballroom, the Beast and I were getting into our dancing position. He gulped nervously as our hands met together. I smiled at him reassuringly, and we took off, spinning and dipping each other around the beautiful ballroom under the twinkling lights on the chandelier.

_Ever just the same_

_Ever a surprise_  
_Ever as before, ever just as sure_  
_As the sun will rise_  
_Tale as old as time_  
_Tune as old as song_  
_Bittersweet and strange,_  
_Finding you can change, learning you were wrong_

_Certain as the sun_  
_Rising in the east_  
_Tale as old as time,_  
_Song as old as rhyme, beauty and the beast._

_Tale as old as time,_  
_Song as old as rhyme, beauty and the beast._

Lumiere shushed the other candles, dimming the lights as we ended our dance. Holding hands, the Beast and I walked out to the balcony.

Mrs. Potts turned to Chip with a smile. "Off to the cupboard with you now, Chip. It's past your bedtime," Chip yawned and hopped off the table. Mrs. Potts kissed him on the cheek, whispering, "Goodnight, love."

**Another chapter done! Review what you think so far. Is Rose really in love with the Beast? Will she make it out of this movie alive? Stay tuned for chapter 4, and you'll find out.**


	4. Chapter 4: The Escape Artist

**Disclaimer: Anything Disney/Pixar related in this story does not belong to me.**

Chapter 4: The Escape Artist

**In the balcony...**

The first few minutes in the balcony were awkward. The Beast and I both sat on one of the stone benches, speechless.

After taking a moment to think of something to say, I turned to the Beast. "Uh...I never knew you could dance so well," I said quietly, twisting a strand of hair. "Who taught you?"

"I taught myself," the Beast said as he twiddled his thumbs nervously. There was another long pause, until he whispered, "Belle? Are you happy here?"

I nodded hesitantly. "It's been amazing living here, but..." Before finishing, I took a short pause as my eyes wandered off into the distance. "...I feel like my father is in trouble," I said.

The Beast looked up at me with a small grin. "Here, I want to show you something," he said, pulling something out from his coat pocket.

I gasped as the Beast handed me a pale blue mirror. I looked at my reflection and noticed a tear forming in my eye. _  
_

I wiped the tear from the corner of my eye and looked back to the Beast. "You want me to keep this?" I asked him.

He nodded in reply. "Yes. This mirror will show you anything, anything you wish to see."

"Well, I'd like to see my father," I said, staring into the glass. The mirror then shined with a neon green light. I squinted at the blinding light, turning my head away until it dimmed.

In the glass was an image of Maurice. I expected him to be in the woods, crouching down on his knees in the bitter cold, but instead, he was outside of the cottage. A swarm of people surrounded him, each person with a torch or pitchfork in their hands. Parking in the center of the crowd was a carriage with the words "ASYLUM FOR LOONS" printed on it.

The Beast leaned in, looking down at the image, and gasped. "What's happening?" he asked in a panicked tone.

"They're taking him away," I whispered, my voice cracking as I spoke. "Gaston and that other man in the carriage...they're taking him to an asylum!"

"Then...then you must go to him," the Beast said as he swallowed a dry lump in his throat.

My eyes widened in shock. "You can't be serious..." I mumbled, but the Beast stared deep into my eyes and nodded his head.

"I release you," he repeated. "You are no longer my prisoner."

The tear that I tried to wipe away came back and rolled down my cheek. I threw my arms around the Beast for a hug. "Thank-you so much," I whispered into his ear.

With his claw, he brushed my hair smoothly. "Good-bye, Belle."

As I began to exit, I heard a sob and jerked my head back. The Beast was still sitting down at the bench, with his head bowed down in shame.

"I'll be back soon," I said in a hushed voice. "Don't worry."

**At the cottage...**

There I was again, riding on the back of a horse, holding onto its mane for dear rode through the forest until I saw a small gleam of light in the distance.

"Over here," I said to the horse, guiding him to the light. He trotted along a dirt path until we reached our exit.

Feeling woozy, I stumbled as I got off the saddle and nearly fell into a bush. I shook my head around to keep myself from throwing up, then went into the light.

I found myself standing in somewhere familiar. It was a meadow filled with dandelions that swayed in the wind. As a breeze blew by, it brushed the dandelions to one side of the meadow, guiding me to the cottage.

As I was walking, I heard a roaring voice demand, "Get in there, you old loon!", and took cover behind a tree.

Gaston and the head of the lunatic asylum were tying a rope to Maurice's hands as they forced him to enter the carriage to the asylum.

Tears rushed down Maurice's face as he struggled to break loose. "Please, somebody help me!" he cried.

I grated my teeth in anger and jogged into the mob. Carelessly, I shoved each body aside until I arrived next to the carriage.

The crowd gasped. "What's she doing here?" a voice called out, surprised.

Gaston released his grip on Maurice and strutted beside me. He put his arm around me and grinned. "Belle, so glad you could make it," he said with a chuckle.

I pushed his arm away and grunted. "Oh, I wouldn't miss it for my life!" I shouted back at him angrily. "What do you think you're doing to my father?"

"Why, locking him away, of course," Gaston said, turning my body around so that it was facing Maurice.

"Belle!" he sobbed before getting shoved into the carriage.

I started after him, until Gaston pulled me back into his arms. "The town's afraid he's gone completely mad. The other day, he barged into the tavern, babbling on about some..._beast!" _Thinking back to that moment, Gaston and the other men chuckled. "Only a lunatic would make up such a story like that!"

"If he's a lunatic, then I am, too, because I was _with _that beast!" I said seriously. The men still continued to laugh. "No, it's true! He wasn't making it up!"

Gaston smirked. "Well, if you really want your father so badly, I'll make you a deal," he said coldly. "I might be able to clear up this misfortune, if you marry me."

I stuck my tongue out in disgust and faked a gag. "Marry _you? _Forget it, hotshot. That's not going to happen."

"Oh well, then. Have it your way," Gaston loosened his grip on me, and I slipped away, taking deep breaths. Gaston turned to the coachman and whistled. "Onward we go, my good man!"

With sorrow, I dug my hands into my dress pockets. I drew my hand back quickly as I felt my fingers bang against something heavy.

"Wait!" I called out. Gaston whirled around and gasped as he saw the mirror resting in my hands. "I'll show you the beast, if you don't believe me," I then looked down at the mirror and said, "Show me the Beast!"

A familiar neon light appeared around the rim of the mirror. In the glass was a picture of the Beast, roaring in distress.

The crowd gasped, some of the parents pulling back their children.

"Is it dangerous?" a random woman asked nervously.

I shook my head and stared at the image. "Oh, no. He'd never hurt anyone..." the crowd stood there, speechless. Some of the people exchanged mutters to one another. I gulped. "...I know he looks vicious, but he's really kind and gentle. He's my friend."

With a grimace, Gaston slapped the mirror out of my hands. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you had feelings for this monster!" he hollered.

"He's no monster, Gaston! You are!"

Gaston didn't reply. Instead, what I found, was a pair of icy hands resting on my shoulders. The hands twisted my body around forcefully.

"I warned you, missy. Folks 'round here won't get treated very nicely with a temper like that," a voice hissed, ending his sentence with a chuckle.

My jaw dropped as I was now staring deep into an intimidating pair of black eyes hidden under a dark hood. The figure stepped closer into the light, revealing his hideous, pug-like face. A sick smile twisted on his lips.

I raised a brow while glaring at the figure in confusion. Could it have been...

_"Pete?" _I whisper through closed lips.

Pete leans in closer, until his ugly face is nearly an inch away from pressing against mine. He chuckles again, saying in a lowered voice, "Girl, I suggest you come with me, unless you want to join your father in the asylum."

With a scowl on my face, I drew back. "I'll never go with you!" I shouted bitterly. "Not unless you let him go!"

"That can be arranged," Pete said deviously as he rubbed his hands together. "Gaston! Take care of the old man for me, will ya?"

"With pleasure," Gaston responded. He whistled at a Lefou and the caretaker of the asylum, motioning for them to fetch Maurice from the carriage.

I watched in horror as the two men dragged the equally terrified Maurice through the angry mob. They swung open the basement doors to the cottage and tossed him in there carelessly.

Maurice banged loudly on the doors, begging to escape. The townsfolk ignored his constant knocking and listened to Gaston as he stood at the center of the crowd, devising a plan.

"I say we kill the beast!" was his short explanation. The men roared in agreement and followed Gaston through the woods.

Pete turned back to me, wearing another vile grin. "Follow me, girl. You'll be staying in the tavern."

"No!" I cried, pulling away. "Don't you understand? They're going to kill the beast, when he's done nothing wrong!"

"I know. That's the idea."

**In the tavern...**

"I hope you find it cozy in here, because this is where you'll be staying for the rest of your cold, miserable life."

At the end of his sentence, Pete roared with laughter, then slammed the tavern's basement doors shut.

I flinched at the loud banging and sealed my eyes together. I soon opened them back up and found myself sitting in total darkness.

Quickly, I turned to a low candlelight set at the corner of the room. My bottom lip began to pout as I thought of Lumiere and how heartbroken he would be when his master is killed by Gaston.

I shook my head to get rid of the thought, then stood up. My feet wobbled around, and within a few seconds, I fell back down to the cold, stone floor. I tried wiggling my arms to help me get back up, and groaned in distress as soon as I realized that Pete had tied them together behind my back.

I let out a sigh and wriggled around the empty room like a warm. My eyes were narrowed, squinting into the dimly lit room, trying to identify any upcoming objects. They failed to find a barrel of some carbonated drink that my head butted into painfully.

With a shoulder, I rubbed the tender spot on my head. I blinked a few times to get rid of the pain, then went back onto my knees and crawled around the barrel.

As I was making my way around the basement, I felt a hint of warmth hit against the back of my neck and turned around. I was no longer staring at nothingness, but a heavy brick wall stacked with hundreds of barrels of beer and sodas.

Resting at the top of one of the shelves was a giant pig that seemed to have collected mold after rotting away in the basement for years. But, what caught my attention was the knife that was laying down beside the pig on a wooden cutting board.

"Yes!" I cheered silently. I jerked my hands up, attempting to reach the knife, but then remembered that they were tied together. My lips formed a frown.

_"Psst! Down here!" _a small voice cried.

Immediately, I started to scan the room, in hopes that someone would be here to rescue me.

Wait a minute. _Rescue _me? I rolled my eyes at the thought, muttering, "Oh, great. What a damsel in distress I came to be."

All of the sudden, I felt something wiggle around in my apron pocket and looked down with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Boy, it sure was stuffy down there," the same voice said to himself, making me giggle. Out of my pocket came Chip, coughing and wheezing as he cleared his face from dust and lint. "Next time you try to leave the castle, I'll stay in the cupboards!"

I watched as he hopped down beside me, inspecting the knot Pete made in the rope. "So, do you think you can break me out of this?" I asked him with half a grin.

Chip nodded confidently. "Yes, I think so. I'll climb up those shelves and try to get that knife to cut it loose."

"Sounds like a plan," I said back to Chip as he started up the shelves. "Just...be careful, okay?"

Chip was too focused on reaching the knife to respond to my comment. It took him a few minutes to figure out a way to get up to the second shelf, but he found a solution that seemed to work smoothly.

Using his tiny teeth, Chip bit onto each of the poles connecting the shelves and climbed further to the top. I found myself fidgeting with my fingers nervously, almost screaming as Chip lost his grip and slid a few inches down. He quickly returned to where he left off and rose to the desired location.

Chip shot a big, goofy smile at me, proud of his accomplishment. "I did it!" he exclaimed.

I smiled back, equally as proud. "Good job, kid. Now, do you see the knife?"

"Yes."

"Great. Nudge it forward until it falls off the shelf."

"Okay..." Chip said in an unsure voice. Carefully, he scooted the knife across the shelf and quickly drew back as soon as it fell barely a foot in front of me.

I gasped as my heart pounded rapidly. The beating stopped as I released a sigh of relief. "OK, now, come back down and get me out, Chip."

"Yes, ma'am," Chip responded, later twirling down the poles and landing on the floorboard flawlessly. He bounced behind me and held the knife in between his teeth.

I snatched the knife and slowly sawed it through the thick rope. One by one, the strands broke apart, and my hands were freed.

Chip and I turned to face each other, both sending happy grins. I then looked back down at my sore fingers and wiggled them around. "Gosh, Chip. You really are a little hero after all."

Chip rolled his eyes playfully and slipped out a small giggle. "No need to thank me now. We need to hurry!"

My eyes hesitantly wandered over to the grandfather clock standing by the staircase. Time flew by, and it was already nine o'clock at night.

I gasped, shooting up from the ground in shock. "There must be a way we can get out of this basement," I said, circling around the lit section of the room as I tried to come up with a plan. "The knife won't do us any good anymore. The door is way too thick to cut through."

My head twisted around towards Chip as he belted out a terrified shriek. I couldn't help but giggle at the horrible mess he had created. Chip was swimming in a pool of fizzy soda that had erupted from one of the shaken barrels.

Chip coughed up some of the soda and released a groan. "Ugh...I thought it was juice," he moaned, shaking the soda off his teacup body. "I'm sorry, Belle. I-I didn't mean to..."

Right at that moment, I snapped my fingers as an ingenious plan suddenly sprung into my mind. I looked over at Chip, demanding for more sodas. "That's it! Take all the sodas you can find, Chip, and bring them over here."

As he was instructed, Chip scurried around the room, rolling over each barrel he could find. He shot me a vague expression, saying, "Belle, I don't see where you're going with this."

I smirked. "You'll see in a minute."

Chip sat himself down at one of shelves, looking on curiously. I went down each row of sodas, picked the barrels up one-by-one, and shook them until I could hear a faint fizz. Chip returned to the soda display as I motioned for him to come by waving my hand.

"I still don't understand what's going on," he said, shaking his head confusedly.

I pressed a finger to my lip, shushing him. "Follow me," I said in a whisper. Carrying a handful of barrels, I quietly slithered up the staircase, pausing for a moment as the boards creaked.

With wide eyes, Chip quickly followed behind. The two of us came to a stop as we heard a loud snoring from outside the door.

I exchanged a quick glare with Chip. He gulped nervous and peered through the crack underneath the door.

"What do you see?" I asked him.

Chip narrowed his eyes, trying to make out an out of focus figure. He looked back at me and responded, "I don't know. There's just a big, fat guy sleeping in a chair."

I pushed Chip aside for a better look. As he described, there was a big, fat guy sleeping in a chair covered with animal skins. A trail of drool hung down from his triple layers of chins.

The figure was Pete.

"What are we going to do, Belle?" Chip said, gulping nervously.

I stood back up and slowly reached for one of the barrels. Chip and I took a few steps back as I untwisted the cork. Soda suddenly shot out from the opened gap, pushing the barrel backwards and knocking into the door. A nail fell to one of the steps, creating a small crack near the top of the door.

Chip and I peeked through the crack, me being on the top, and Chip standing on my shoulder. I turned my head away in disgust as we watched Pete sleeping with his massive stomach sticking out of his ill-fitting shirt.

Chip looked up at me with a terrified look in his eyes. He stuck out his tongue. "What...is that thing?"

"Oh, trust me, you don't want to know. He's just some horrible creature that kidnaps little girls' fathers and traps her down in basements. Not that I would know."

Moving more quickly than before, I grabbed more of the barrels and stacked them on top of each other.

Chip and I drew further down the staircase, but still in reach of the barrels. We both turned to each other, whispering in unison, "Ready?"

The two of us nodded and approached the other barrels. Together, we gripped onto two corks at a time and unplugged them from the barrels.

A huge wave of soda came hurdling out at us, pushing Chip and I down the flight of stairs. We coughed and sat up, cold from being completely drenched in the carbonated drink. The barrels pounded the door, pushing it looser, and eventually causing it to fall down with a loud _THUMP! _

I cringed, sitting there nervously while waiting for Pete's reaction. From his chair, he flinched, then mumbled something random in his sleep.

I let out a sigh of relief and led Chip up the staircase. Chip leaped down from my shoulder and moved stealthily through the door. Pete didn't move a muscle.

After building up the courage, I sneaked myself through the basement door, entering a shady section of the tavern. Snuggling up in his chair, Pete continued to snore more loudly and stuck his thick thumb in his mouth.

I covered my mouth with my hands to prevent myself from cracking up. At a snail's pace, I tiptoed across him and made my way at the door. As I took my last step through the tavern, the floorboards creaked, jolting Pete to life.

He sprung up from his chair and collapsed onto the ground, awaking from a deep sleep. Nervously, Pete looked around the room. "Who's there?" he shouted, arming himself with a broken mug of beer.

I shivered in fear and stood still exactly where I was. Pete was walking around the tavern, hobbling on his wooden peg leg. My face froze as he wandered by me, unable to notice that I was standing there.

With another relieved sigh, I reached for the doorknob and slowly began twisting it. That is, until a body slammed into mine and knocked me down to the ground.

"Aha!" Pete screeched, spitting into my eye. "A jailbreak!"

I wiped the spit from my eye and arched my back against the wall. Glowering, I said, "Yes, you'd know plenty about those, considering you've done it one hundred times before."

"Never mind that. Mickey Mouse will be the one in the slammer when I get to that hat first!"

I raised my brows raised in confusion. "You want that hat, too? Well, I guess it is a small world after all."

"Hush up, you little imp, and face my wrath! Hehe!"

From his pocket, Pete pulled out a sharp dagger and pointed it at me threateningly. I took a gulp and felt around anxiously in my pockets for the knife that I used to cut myself loose down in the basement, but both pockets were empty.

Closer and closer, Pete drew his dagger to my neck. A drop of sweat trickled down my forehead; I had to act fast, before I lost my head..._literally._

As the dagger was only a few short inches away from me, I shot my leg up. Pete screeched in pain as my knee whacked into his crouch, releasing the dagger from his hands. I caught it in midair into my palm and grasped onto the handle tightly.

Pete gulped, his eyes focused on the pointy end of the dagger that I pointed at him forcefully. He stepped back slowly. "I-I didn't mean to offend you, girl. Honestly. I'm sure we can sort this out, if you just drop the dagger..."

"No!" I hissed at him. "I won't stab under one circumstance. You need to tell Gaston and the others to come back to the village."

Pete chuckled. "I'm afraid I can't do that now, pumpkin. They've probably already reached the castle by now."

I paused for a moment and looked down at the dagger. It rolled down from my hands and fell onto the floor. I turned to face the doorway, saying under my breath, "Fine. If you can't do it, then I will."


	5. Chapter 5: Rose vs Gaston

**Disclaimer: Anything Disney/Pixar related in this story does not belong to me.**

Chapter 5: Rose vs. Gaston

**Outside the castle...**

Outside, the air grew damp and clammy. I shivered as a familiar winter breeze crept down my back while riding Phillipe to the castle. Chip and Maurice (who he had somehow rescued while I was fighting Pete) sat at the back of the horse, anxiously awaiting to come across the castle gates.

Maurice tilted his body to the side curiously, peering over my shoulder. He tapped it and whispered, "Belle, are you sure we're going the right way? I don't see any castle anywhere."

I yanked on Phillipe's reigns, motioning for him to stop. Phillipe paused in his tracks, snorting out a cloud of cold air, and looked around the forest.

"This way," I instructed, pointing at a narrow, rocky path. Phillipe neighed and followed us down the path, eventually making our way to the front of the castle's gates.

Suddenly, Phillipe looked up alertly. I followed his wandering eyes and gasped fearfully. Dozens of horses were parked out behind the gates down a hard, gravel path leading to the front doors.

"They're here already," said Maurice in a shaken voice. "What do we do now?"

"We have to sneak inside, before Gaston reaches the West Wing," I responded.

A loud rattling from inside shook the doors, making the three of us tremble. Then, the doors swung open, and out came an army of petrified men, landing face-front in a giant bank of snow.

They all screamed in terror, struggling to get themselves out of the deep snow. Some managed to wiggle their way out and quickly rushed out of the castle on their horses. The others, after many failed attempts to escape, fell into another layer of snow, feeling defeated.

"This way," I whispered to the group.

Phillipe slowly entered the yard of the castle through a gap that the villagers created in the gate. We stopped next to the snow bank and got off, securing Phillipe to a nearby tree trunk.

Maurice stared at the castle with widened eyes and gulped. "Belle, I'm not sure if I can go back inside. According to the master, I'm no longer welcome here," he said nervously.

"The master's different now. He'll let you in," I assured him, managing a soft smile.

Maurice sighed. "I suppose so. But, what could an old man like myself do to save the life of someone?" he asked negatively.

"You can guard the gates. Make sure nobody else gets in."

I paused, waiting for a sign of approval from Maurice. He hesitantly nodded, and wrapped himself more tightly in his cape to prepare for the bitter coldness.

With Chip peeking out from the edge of my pocket, he steered me through the never-ending maze of hallways, in search of the West Wing. After six years of living in the Beast's castle with his mother and siblings, Chip seemed pretty used to the layout.

"Take a left by the painting of the fat woman, then keep going in the same direction until..."

Chip and I whirled around as a man's scream echoed throughout the castle. We followed the ringing of the voice, running as fast as I could with my nearly frozen legs, and came across the staircase leading to the West Wing.

"Stay here, Chip," I said, scooping Chip out of my pocket and placing him down on the back of the footstool-dog. "You've been a great help, but, I have to do this alone now."

I took one last look at Chip before heading up the long flight of stairs. My throat starting burning as I climbed up the last few steps, but, despite the pain, I kept going until I reached two large glass doors.

Slowly, I reached for the handle. After taking a gulp, I twisted both of the doorknobs and silently entered the Beast's secret room.

A beam of light reflected off a shard of broken glass laying down on the floor. My eyes wandered through the trail of broken glass, eventually coming across a big gap in the wall where a window apparently used to be.

For precaution, I grabbed a sharp sword from the clutches of a knight's statue leaned against the wall, and leaped out the hole.

The wind outside had since picked up since I was last outside. Now, it was fierce, and strong enough to push someone over with a single blow. I shielded my eyes with a hand and tried to find Gaston and the Beast. Hopefully, he was still alive.

"Get up! Get up!" a voice hollered from a few feet away, capturing my attention. "What's the matter, Beast? Too kind and gentle to fight back?"

With my sword held out in front of me, I quickly followed the voice. Hidden behind a wall of stones stood Gaston, and a sitting Beast.

"Beast!" I shouted, trying to break the rock wall apart, but it wouldn't budge.

Gaston turned around, his evil blue eyes staring into mine. He chuckled deeply. "Well, well. Look who finally decided to show up," Gaston faced the Beast once again, "Were you in love with her, Beast? Did you honestly think she would want you when she had someone like me?"

After another chuckle, Gaston swung his weapon down at the Beast. Suddenly, a hand shot out out of nowhere and caught the weapon in between his sausage-like fingers.

Pete then appeared through a crack in the wall. He dropped Gaston's weapon down firmly on the floor of the balcony and said gently, "Gaston, don't trouble yourself with this monster. I'll take care of him quite nicely. You can take care of the girl."

Gaston scoffed. "I don't fight girls!" he announced.

"Well, might I remind you, Gaston, that this particular girl has rejected you on several occasions and has chosen to love a beast instead."

"In that case, let the fight begin!" Gaston said.

With just his fists, Gaston smashed the stone wall into separate columns and strutted towards me, reaching for his gun. I grabbed hold of my sword, ready for battle.

"If you fight me," I warned him. "There isn't a chance that I'll become your wife."

Gaston smirked, busy targeting his gun directly at my head. "If there I can't have you, then nobody can!"

Before I could swing my sword at him, a bullet came shooting out of his gun. I rolled down to the ground, just missing the bullet, and aimed my blade at Gaston's feet.

The sword slid itself under Gaston's muddy pair of hunting boots, causing him to lose his balance and wobble, eventually falling onto the ground beside me. He sat back up, shrinking back as he realized my sword pointed only a few inches away from his face.

"I won't kill you, Gaston. But I will warn you: never talk to me again."

In the gray skies came storm clouds, rolling in from the horizon. A ray of thunder clasped in the background as Gaston and I continued to battle each other.

He struck me on the cheek with the jagged end of his gun; I dug the sword into his thigh. The two of us only took a few short pauses to heel from our wounds.

To be honest, I never knew I was such a skilled fighter. When I was younger, I really wanted to do fencing, but my mom, as her usual panicked self, thought that it was too dangerous. If only she could see what I was doing now, I bet she'd die of a heart attack.

Anyway, as the night was slowly dawning, our battle was progressing. I swung my sword at Gaston, aiming for his shoulder, but to my surprise, he caught the sword in his hand and pointed it at my neck.

I swallowed and leaned my head backwards. "Go ahead, chop my head off and hang it on the wall. See if I care."

"As you wish, my lady."

Without taking a moment to think, Gaston drew the sword back and started at my neck. Quickly, I extended my arm out, reaching for the gun locked in Gaston's belt. I ripped it out of the belt buckle and shielded myself with it.

The blade of the sword vibrated in Gaston's hands. He released his grip on the handle and fell back to the railing.

"Please, don't kill me!" he pleaded, a bit overly-dramatic, as I pointed the gun at his stomach. "I'll-I'll do anything! Anything!"

I paused, speechless, and stared down at the gun in my hands. Lowering the gun, I said, "Go back to the village."

Gaston nodded and stepped away from the railing, gasping for air.

"Belle!" a voice then cried.

I whirled around, grinning with delight. "Beast!"

My grin faded into a frown as I saw the Beast's body soar off the edge of the upper balcony. Luckily, he landed onto the balcony I was on.

"Beast!" I shouted once again, rushing over to the Beast.

Gaston quietly approached behind me, armed with his gun. The Beast looked up, his eyes growing with fear as another bullet was released.

The Beast shoved me out of the way, letting the bullet dig into his arm. He fell back down with a cry in pain.

I twirled around with a smug look on my face, ready to fight another round with Gaston. Instead of using the sword as my weapon, I kicked at Gaston's shins angrily, pushing him over the railing.

He screamed and caught onto the side of the balcony. One by one, Gaston's fingers were slowly slipping off the edge. He looked down at the deep pit below him, shrieking, "No! No! This can't be! No one fights like..."

Gaston's last few words turned into a cry for help as he plunged into the pit, screaming.

With teary eyes, I turned to the Beast. He tried to lift his head for a better image of me, but the muscles in his body were too weak to do so.

"You came back," he forced himself to whisper in a frail voice.

I smiled and squeezed onto his massive, lifeless paw. "Of course I came back. I was wrong to leave you, Beast. This is all my fault..."

"Maybe it's better this way," said the Beast weakly.

"No, don't say that! It's-it's alright. We're together now, everything's going to be fine..."

"At least I got to see you one last time."

His hand then dropped out of mine. I looked down at the Beast, practically bursting with tears as his eyes, once so lively and excited, were rolled back in his sockets.

I cried into the Beast's motionless stomach, absorbing my tears in his thick coat of fur. "No, please! Please don't leave me!" I sobbed. "I love you."

Back in the West Wing, the Beast's servants gloomily watched as the last petal came fluttering down from the enchanted rose. They all looked down in sorrow, a tear even trickling down Mrs. Potts' cheek.

Everyone suddenly turned their attention back out at the balcony. Rays of light came flashing down, carrying the Beast's corpse into the air.

I closed my eyes tightly, protecting them from the blinding lights shining around the balcony.

When I opened them moments later, there stood a handsome, redheaded young man, dressed in a torn white shirt and equally torn blue pants. He whirled around dramatically after observing his lightly colored hands, revealing a bright set of a blue eyes.

"Beast! Adam!" I shouted happily. He embraced me in his arms and twirled me around.

Out from the West Wing came Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts, all in their human forms. Chip entered the balcony riding the footstool-dog, both of them transforming quickly into humans, too.

The Beast-or, Adam-rushed over to his friends, surprised to see them looking so differently. He grinned, saying merrily, "Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts! Look at us!"

Adam and his friends hugged one another happily as the dark castle slowly transformed into a much more vivid image.

I stood there with a smile on my face, watching the happy reunion, until I felt something tickle my toes and looked down curiously. Somehow, a black hole managed to find its way up the balcony, growing bigger and bigger by the second.

My eyes grew wide in surprise, as I thought..._was that the portal?_

"Belle, are you okay?" a voice chirped.

I looked behind my shoulder at Prince Adam, who was staring at me with a confused expression.

Taking a deep breath, I finally admitted, "My name isn't Belle."

The crowd gasped, completely astonished. I continued, "My name is Rose, and I'm not from where you think I am. Actually, I live in the human world, and I need to get back as soon as I can."

And so I went on, telling Adam and his servants the whole story. Within each sentence I spoke, my eyes wandered off to check on the hole.

After I finished, I covered my mouth as a loud gasp came out, shocked to find that the hole was almost as large as the entire balcony. The others gazed down at hole, took a few steps back before getting sucked in, and turned their attention at me.

"Go in, Rose, before it's too late," Adam said warmly, his lips forming one last smile.

I tried to smile, too, but my lips were quivering too much to concentrate. Instead, I threw my arms around Adam's (much less hairier) neck, and gave him a short kiss on the cheek. Lumiere, Cogsworth, and the others joined in for a lengthy group hug.

Eventually, the hug broke apart, and I headed at the hole. Before hopping in, I exhaled, and waved at Adam and the servants, who promptly waved back.

Then, the image of my friends faded away through a swirling, jet black vortex.

**That night...**

As the clock stroke midnight, the celebration that Adam held at the castle slowly died away. Guests were leaving the party on fancy horse-drawn carriages, chauffeured by Adam's servants.

Adam and the others had gone off to bed early out of exhaustion from all that had happened to them that day. Only one guest in the ballroom still remained: Pete.

His ugly, smashed-up face was hidden behind a decorative mask, so that no one could reveal his identity. The weapon he used to fight Adam-a rusty, old sword with a scratched blade-remained untouched in his belt buckle.

Pete broke into a fit of evil laughter as he quietly exited the ballroom. He moved swiftly around the hallways, whispering to himself, "It may have been easy this round, girl, but just wait till you try and mess with me again in the next!"

Past the kitchen, through the library, and up the staircase Pete went, until he reached a familiar set of large double doors. Pete peeked through the opening between the two doors and entered the lit room.

The West Wing was formerly a beaten-down, gloomy place where only the master himself was allowed to enter. Now, it had transformed into a neat, colorful room where several cheerful paintings hung on the walls, one of which being a smiling portrait of Adam.

Pete sneered at the horrible, happy display, and waddled towards the newly-repaired window. He unlatched the hook and leaped outside onto the balcony, where there lay a small black hole.

Pete charged at it, soon getting from his hips and up caught in the slowly enclosing hole. With a groan, he wiggled his fat body around impatiently, managing to unclog himself minutes later, and shot down the vortex.

**That's it for this chapter (and movie, might I add). Please review what you think so far, and also feel free to ****critique anything in my story. **

**Stay tuned to see what movie Rose and Pete end up in next!**


	6. Chapter 6: Every Mile is Worth the While

**Disclaimer: Anything Disney/Pixar related in this story does not belong to me.**

Chapter 6: Every Mile is Worth the While

**At the town square...**

After falling through the vortex, I sat up on a stone road and rubbed my head to ease down the spinning. My vision was almost completely blurry, despite the fact that I could recognize that I was surrounded by columned buildings.

I blinked once to clear my eyesight, and gasped at the beautiful Greek town square the vortex brought me to.

I then looked down, expecting to find myself wearing Belle's blue and white dress, but instead was surprised to see that I was dressed in a short white toga. My hair was different, too; it was curled to a higher volume and cascaded past my waist. I cringed after taking a step on the road as a sudden pain pinched my toes, only to find that my ballet slippers had changed into knee-high sandals.

With that, I knew that I was in one of my favorite Disney movies of all time, _Hercules. _

"Oh, my goodness!" a man nearby screeched. I turned my attention to an open door, where a large, bearded man was struggling to carry a heavy vase from inside.

"Here, let me help you with that," I offered, running in his shop to help him.

"Why, thank-you," the man said, with his face hidden behind the other side of the vase.

"No problem," I responded, sticking my head out from the side to make polite eye contact with the man.

He shrieked, "Why, Hercules! It's-it's you!"

I raised a brow at the man's surprised reaction, and the fact that I, a girl, was now Hercules. "Wait a minute-how did I suddenly get stuck in a guy part?" I asked.

The man ignored my question as he yanked the vase right out of my hands. Still struggling, he said reassuringly, "Now, no need to worry about anything. I'll be fine," the man added in between huffs. "Just...run along."

"Are you sure?" I said, although he was already directing me out the door.

"Oh, yes. Absolutely."

Scared for some reason, the man concealed himself inside his shop by blocking the entrance with a pair of two long curtains. With a shrug, I turned around and began to walk, but soon stopped as a spinning disc came hurdling by.

I looked down at the disc, which lay beside my feet, and picked it up.

"Yo! Give it here!" a blonde boy called out from his group of friends. He came running towards me, eager for the disc, but his expression slowly faded away as soon as he saw me standing there.

I held out the disc for the boy, who quickly drew back from my hand, and stood there with a puzzled look on my face. "What's the matter?" I asked him.

The young boy scratched his head, trying to think of something to say. "Uh...it's nothing, Herc," he said, stuttering. "It's just that, we didn't think you'd be out here so late."

"Late?" I repeated, looking up at the bright morning sky. "But, it's only..."

"See ya, Herc!" the boy said as he and his friends snatched the disc, running far away.

"What a geek!" one of them joked.

"Destructo-girl," another boy added with a chuckle.

"Maybe we should call her 'Jerkules'."

I frowned at the harsh words and sat down at a water fountain, where the people surrounding it quickly grabbed their things and started to move elsewhere. I let out a long sigh and bowed my head in shame.

"Heads up!" the blonde boy's voice suddenly warned. I looked up to find that their disc was spinning through the air.

"I've got it!" I called back, running to retrieve the disc.

"No, stop!"

Before I could stop myself, my body dove at the disc, but instead flung itself onto one of the columns supporting a building. Somehow, the column managed to break loose and wobbled around. I shrieked, hanging on for dear life as the column toppled over, knocking into the next.

"Dammit," I muttered under my breath, watching each pillar continuously knock each other down like domino.

Screaming their heads off, everyone evacuated the streets. An old man named Amphitryon promptly emerged from one of the collapsing stores, his eyes growing wide with panic as he watched the traumatic scene.

"Daughter!" he screamed at me.

"Dad?" I said loudly in a semi-confused tone. "Hold on, Dad. I'll be o-kaaaayyy!"

My voice trailed off as the last two pillar came falling down, landing against the fat man's shop. Meanwhile, the man was standing by the doorway, hugging his wide collection of pots and vases, practically in tears of contentment.

"Watch out!" I hollered at the man as I came sliding towards him and his vases.

The man squealed, attempting to escape the shop with his prized possessions. Unfortunately for him, it was too late before the two of us collided, sending the shattered vases into the air.

A cloud of dust circled the remains of the town. I coughed, fanning it away, and looked down wistfully at the disc that had fallen right beside my hip.

"Nice catch, Jerkules," the blonde boy hissed, once again seizing the disc.

"Daughter..." Amphitryon began softly, until the rest of his words were cut off by the fat man.

"This is the last straw, Amphitryon!" he shouted after yanking one of his vases off of his red face.

"That girl is a menace!"

"She's too dangerous to be around normal people!"

"She didn't mean any harm," Amphitryon assured the townsfolk. "She's just a kid. She-she just can't control her strength..."

"I'm warning you," notified the man. "You keep that-that-that..._freak _out of here!"

The crowd roared in agreement with the man. I stood still beside Amphitryon, close to tears.

If only I were back as Belle, where I had two men chasing after me, instead of chasing away from me. Better yet, I could be back home, where I was just a shadow to the public, and no one but my family bothered me at all.

The thought made my heart ache. I slipped away from the crowd before I could cry, accidentally pulling Amphitryon along with me.

**Moments later...**

Amphitryon and I were sitting silently at a hilltop that was overlooking the ocean. Amphitryon broke the silence with a sigh, while staring at me as my head again bowed down in shame.

"Daughter," he started. "you shouldn't let those things they said back there get to you."

"But, Dad, they're right!" I objected, turning my back on the old, crippled man. "They're afraid of me and...and my strength. Maybe, I just wasn't meant to belong here. Maybe, I'm just made to be...someplace else."

I tuned out, starting to think about my family, and what they must be doing in response to my disappearance. If only I hadn't found that stupid hat. Then, I could run back into my mother's arms-or, at least into the attic-and just watch Disney movies, let alone being trapped in them.

Amphitryon looked down at me with a sympathetic glare. "Hercules, daughter-" he said, reaching to pat my shoulder, which I quickly jerked away.

"Yeah, I know. It doesn't make any sense."

Amphitryon frowned, then decided to return back to his house, leaving me by myself. I sighed and picked up a pebble laying at the edge of a cliff, skipping it in the water below.

_I have often dreamed_

_Of a far off place_

_Where a great, warm welcome_

_Will be waiting for me._

_Where the crowds will cheer_

_When they see my face_

_And a voice keeps saying_

_This is where I'm meant to be!_

Leaving the cliff, I started climbing up a tall tree, which ended at a beautiful view of the night sky.

_I will find my way_

_I can go the distance_

_I'll be there someday_

_If I can be strong._

_I know every mile_

_Will be worth my while_

_I would go most anywhere to feel like I belong._

Moments later, I tried to find my way to Amphitryon's cottage. He and his wife, Alcmene, were anxiously waiting by the doorway.

"Hercules," Amphitryon began with a sigh. "There's something your mother and I have been meaning to tell ya."

For almost an hour, my "parents" explained how they apparently found me-or, Hercules, that is-alone while on a walk through the mountains.

"This was around your neck when we found you," Alcmene said, handing me a shining golden medal attached to a red string. "It's the symbol of the gods."

I held the medal in my hands, staring at the traced image of a lightning bolt. "This is it!" I exclaimed. "I'll go to the temple of Zeus and-"

Amphitryon and Alcmene stood there with teary eyes, yet still managing to have warm smiles upon their lips. I looked at them, saying in a gentler voice, "Mom, Dad, you're the greatest parents anyone can have, but...I-I have to go."

Yes, because I had to go to my _real _parents. That's what I tried to force myself from saying.

Outside, Amphitryon, Alcmene, and I were standing at the doorway, bidding our farewells. Alcmene wrapped a blanket around my shoulders to keep warm from the cold weather. We all joined in a group hug.

As we departed, I took one last glance of the teary couple before heading back up the hill. They waved at me, and I waved back.

Then, with more motivation, I sang:

_I am on my way_

_I can go the distance!_

_I don't care how far_

_Somehow I'll be strong!_

_I know every mile _

_Will be worth my while._

_I would go most anywhere to find where I belong!_

A bolt of thunder lit up a sign nailed to a tree, which had an arrow carved on it that directed me to Zeus' temple. I followed the long, windy trail up the mountain, finally arriving at the great marble steps.

Inside the temple was a giant statue of Zeus. I advanced over to the statue and knelt beside it, muttering, "Oh mighty Zeus, please, hear me and answer my prayer. I need to know: where do I belong?"

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew through the temple, soon igniting a lightning bolt. The bolt hit the statue of Zeus, and to my surprise, sprung it to life.

The stone Zeus looked down at me with a fatherly smile. "My girl. My little...Hercules."

I screamed, running away from Zeus' ginormous hand that slowly reached out for me, and dove into a display of candles.

"Hey, hey, hey! Hold on kiddo!" Zeus chuckled. "After all these years, is this the kind of hello you give your father?"

I looked up, and after spitting a candle out from my mouth, I whispered to him in an unsure voice, "_Father? _So, now, you're my..."

"Didn't know you had a famous father, did'ya?" Zeus shouted, tossing me around in his hands. Then, he bellowed, "SURPRISE!"

I fell down into his palm, coughing, as his breath created a powerful breeze.

Zeus looked down at me more tenderly. "Oh, look how much you've grown!" he said. "You've got your mother's beautiful eyes."

I chuckled a bit, then cleared my throat. "So, if you're my father, then does that make me a..."

"A goddess," Zeus finished for me.

"A goddess!" I repeated, bewildered. "Then, why am I not on Mount Olympus? Didn't you want me?"

"Of course we did. Your mother and I loved you with all our hearts," Zeus said softly. He switched into a more angered tone, roaring, "But somebody stole you from us and turned you mortal, and only gods can live on Mount Olympus."

I sat back down, absorbing in all the information that Zeus spilled out. "And you can't do a thing?" I asked him.

"I can't, Hercules, but _you _can!"

"Really?" I said with wide eyes. "But, how?"

"Hercules," Zeus began. "If you can prove yourself a true hero on Earth, your godhood will be restored!"

"A _hero?_" I repeated, my eyebrows raised in confusion. "But, I'm a girl. Isn't that a little...you know..._weird?"_

"Nonsense, daughter. You can be anything that you want to be, only if you work hard to achieve it."

"And exactly how do I do that?"

"First, you must seek out Philoctetes, the trainer of heroes," Zeus explained.

"Right!" I said excitedly, about ready to leave the temple. "Seek out Philo..." there was a long pause as I tried to pronounce Philoctetes'-or, Phil, as I knew him by-name. "Oh, whatever."

Completely unaware of the fact that I was about fifty feet above ground, I began to walk off Zeus' palm. Luckily, he caught me by the ankle in mid-air.

"Whoa! Hold your horses! Which reminds me..." Zeus interrupted his sentence with a loud whistle. Soaring from the stars came a winged white horse, who flawlessly landed on the floor after doing several flips and dips in the air. "You probably don't remember Pegasus, but you two go way back."

I reached my hand out to scratch Pegasus on the nose, but instead, he joined me in a head-butt. I held my aching forehead and grinned.

"He is a magnificent horse. With the brain of a bird," Zeus added jokingly as Pegasus stood there with a puzzled expression.

"I'll find Philo-teet-es and become a true hero!" I said, still stumbling on the name. "I won't let you down, father!"

With that, I hopped onto Pegasus and flew out through a crack in the ceiling. Zeus kept his grin, whispering, "Good luck, daughter."

I looked back at Zeus and waved, then continued my song as we soared through the clouds:

_I will beat the odds_

_I can go the distance!_

_I will face the world_

_Fearless, proud, and strong_

_I will please the gods_

_I can go the distance!_

_Till I find my hero's welcome right where I belong!_

**Meanwhile...**

Pete groaned as he fell flat on his face in a strange, dark room. He looked up in shock at the mysterious place; it was like nothing he had ever seen before.

No color seemed to lurk around any corner of the gloomy kingdom. Skeleton heads were pasted onto the gray walls for decoration, or maybe just to scare the visitors away. There was not a soul inside-or, at least, no living one at that.

"I think we've got a live one!" a panicked voice cried.

Pete watched as a strange-looking turquoise imp scurried in through the doorway nervously, followed by another imp, who was colored a purplish-pink and seemed to be much fatter than his friend.

"Boss isn't gonna be too happy about this," the fatter imp muttered to the turquoise one.

The skinny turquoise imp began hyperventilating, "Oh, Gods! We'll be burnt to smithereens!"

"Our, like toast," the other imp added, licking his lips in hunger.

With a devilish smirk, Pete sat up straight and turned his attention to the two bumbling imps. He brushed the dirt off his sleeve, saying in a soft voice, "Gentlemen, there is nothing to worry 'bout here. You see, I came to warn you about a certain hero...or, _heroine, _shall I say...that goes by the name 'Hercules'."

"Hercules," Panic, the turquoise imp, repeated with a gulp, exchanging glares with the other imp, Pain. "Why does that name ring a bell?"

"I don't know," Pain said, nodding in agreement. "Maybe we owe her money?"

"Wait a minute," said Panic. "Wasn't Hercules the name of that kid we were supposed to-"

Pain and Panic looked at each other once again, eyes widened with fear, and together, they screeched, "OH MY GODS!"

Pete folded his arms in satisfactory. As a resident of the Disney dimension, he was quite familiar with each of the stories. _Hercules _had always been a favorite of his, only because of Hades, who had been his idol for years. Evil, slightly sarcastic, and hunger for power...what more could a villain need?

Pete turned back to Hades' two idiotic henchmen. "Men, if you would focus, please, I need to tell you something about the girl," he began smoothly. "Right now, she's alive, and probably on her way to becoming a goddess again. What we need is a plan to take down Jerkules once and for all."

"Yeah!" Pain and Panic replied in unison.

"Now, if you two could just ask your boss-"

"Our boss?" Panic repeated, finishing his sentence with a loud gulp.

"Sorry, tiny, but there's _no _way we're gonna do that," Pain said.

"Yeah!" Panic agreed with his friend. "If Hades finds out about Hercules, he'll kill us...literally!"

Pete sighed, "Fine, but just wait. He'll find out about the girl eventually."

With a chuckle, Pete turned his back and began to walk away from the two imps. Pain and Panic glared at each other nervously.

"Alright!" they said in perfect harmony. "We're in!"

"Just try not to let Hades find out about it," Panic added.

Pete glanced at Pain and Panic over his shoulder, then gritted his teeth into a large, mischievous smirk. "That's the spirit, boys! Now, let's begin..."

**That's all for chapter 6. And, yes, as you have probably already figured out, the new movie is _Hercules. _I was so sicked to include _Go the Distance _in this chapter...it's one of my favorite Disney songs!**

**Anyway, please review what you think so far (I review back!). I know it's not much; this is the first story I've ever written on here. So, please be kind, but don't be afraid to make some suggestions! **

**Thanks for reading, and I'll try to update as soon as possible. :)**


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